by chris | Dec 2015 | UK to New Zealand
Before I leave Trinidad some miscellanea that you might find interesting.
A nutmeg gathered from the forest.
Nutmeg
The bike came in useful – looks unwieldy but I managed to pick up two sails from the sailmakers.
Loaded Bike
The coast from the road up to the old tracking station.
N Coast from tracking station road
A trail through the forest.
Forest track
Some fruit and veg bought from a roadside stall, soursop, grapefruit, portuguals, favour peppers, pumpkin, squash, hot peppers, tomatoes, capsicum, maize, courgette, onion, garlic, bananas.
Fruit & veg
Finally managed to see some monkeys in the forest which was a nice thrill.
by chris | Nov 2015 | UK to New Zealand
After all the work, all the worry, Sea Bear is back in the water. I always find it a nervous business watching the yard staff move the boat with the stacker to transfer to the hoist. Then there is always the thought of have you remember everything, will there be no leaks. Added to that this time was moving to a bow to berth in the dock in the little creek around the side of the yard. A tight space to manoeuvre into with boats either side and a pile to avoid and stop in time not to bash the hard dock!
Well I managed it OK, great relief. Had a beer at sundown to celebrate.
Being picked up
by the stacker
View of the dock
In the berth
by chris | Dec 2015 | UK to New Zealand
Finally everything was done, the rigger had adjusted the rigging as the forestay was a little on the loose side. In the morning immigration and customs visited, duty free Gin and Rum purchased and provisions bought with the last of my Triny dollars. Noon and time to cast of the lines and reverse out of the dock. I’d been a long time in Trinidad. I motored out through all the moored and anchored boats in Chaguaramas Bay and then through the Boca passage to the open sea. It was a bit windier and the sea a little rougher than I would have liked for a first sail after such a long lay off but you just have to deal with what the weather gods send you.
It turned out to be a long hard passage, hard on the wind the whole way and with leeway and a very strong westerly current I had to point 30 to 40 degrees to the east to achieve a heading of north. No sleep, cooking was dismissed due to the conditions so just cold snacks. Plenty of spray came aboard but at least it wasn’t cold. 22 hours later I sailed into Prickly Bay Grenada and anchored. No rest yet though, the dinghy to inflate and ashore to visit customs and immigration then a hot walk to the bank for funds. Later Martin and Martha, a Dutch couple I had met in Trinidad came by and took me to happy hour at the bar and then it being Sat night half price pizza. So fed and watered so to speak I could retire to my bunk 36 hours after last lying down.
by chris | Dec 2015 | UK to New Zealand
Anchored here in Prickly Bay.
Prickly Bay
Took some buses up into the mountains. Visited the Grand Etang lake and walked a bit in the forest, cool up here and a bit of a rainy day but some nice views.
Grand Etang Lake
Grand Etang forest
Vendome view
Ged arrived and we went to a dinghy concert, a band on a tug us on a big float bobbing about in Phare Blue Bay- lovely.
Later we visited St Georges and the the Grand Anse, a very lovely beach, swam and had barbecued jerk chicken.
Grand Anse
by chris | Jan 2016 | UK to New Zealand
Pulling up the anchor to leave Prickly Bay we were amazed at how much weed had grown on the chain after such a short stay. We left the chain on deck rather than stow it in the anchor locker so we could clean it..We made a short hop up to Dragon Bay on the west coast of Grenada and had time here for a spot of snorkelling before our sundowners.
First light next day we were underway, up the coast then across past Kick ‘em Jenny and Diamond rock to Tyrrel Bay Carriacou. Ashore later we had a very nice fish dinner in the Slipway, fresh Tuna for me and Mahi Mahi for Ged. A visit to the mangrove lagoon then a walk to and along Paradise beach finishing with drinking rum with the locals at Banana Joe’s, a very laid back character.
Sandy Island
Moving on we moored off Sandy island, just a strip of coral and sand with a few palm trees. It was very windy so the snorkelling not so good as it could have been. On to Hillsborough, a bus over to Windward to look at the boat building and a walk towards the North of the island.
Next stop was Petite Martinique a more laid back island would I think be hard to find in the Caribbean. No other yachts here, no tourists, no whities.
Petite Martinique
On to Union island, here we bought fresh tuna steaks from a fisherman delicious they were and walked up Fort hill for the views towards our next objective the uninhabited Tobago Cays. Careful navigation is needed to visit these surrounded as they are by reefs but they are a fabulous place to visit. We swam, saw iguanas ashore and treated ourselves to barbecued lobster.
Tobago Cays from Union
Still strong winds for our passage to Bequia, 25 to 30 knots with a lively sea. Leeway, wind, waves, current all pushing us westward so it was hard work to gain the easting we needed.
We discovered the hard way that the holding in Admiralty bay was not great, the bottom being sand & rubble when we were awoken at 3.30 by the anchor alarm that we were dragging. Not much fun that time in the morning re-anchoring. Later for peace of mind we took a mooring buoy.
Christmas day was spent here, lunch on the terrace of a restaurant overlooking the bay followed by a walk along the beach, swimming and rounded of with rum punch at a Rasta spot.
Christmas lunch view
Another rough but thankfully short passage took us to St Vincent. In the lee of the island all much calmer and we arrived at Cumberland Bay to anchor with Joseph the rastaman taking a stern line ashore tied to a tree on the beach.
A walk ashore confirmed the friendliness of the locals with greetings and chats . One love man.
inland Cumberland Bay
We both wanted to stay longer here in St Vincent but Ged’s plane from Martinique would not wait.
Cleared out from Chateaubelair further up the coast, a desperately poor place this but the locals super friendly and helpful.
By the time we arrived in St Lucia we were very salty from spray and motoring the last miles into Soufriere was a race against the dark. Sometimes you can be thankful that there are boat boys and they helped us to a vacant mooring buoy, anchoring is not allowed here as it is a Marine park. One good thing about this passage was the catching of a small tuna by our trolled line, it provided a tasty eve meal.
A pleasant sail on flat water took us to Rodney Bay. Its the sort of place I normally avoid, big marina with condominiums, holiday resorts etc. but located on the North of the island an ideal jumping of spot for crossing to Martinique.
Martinique is north from St Lucia so at least we did not have to fight to make easting. Calmer seas and a beam wind we flew along surprising both of us by our speed and the ease of it. So we arrived by midday to anchor in Grande Anse d’Arlet. Jean Mitchell who I had first meet in Northern Spain over a year ago was here and spotting Sea Bear rowed over to invite us for t punch later. There are lots of turtles here so Ged eventually got to swim with a turtle when snorkelling.
We went to a Creole restaurant on the beach before the short hop to Fort de France. Ashore a lot going on, music, bands, loads of people. We had to keep checking we were not a day out and it wasn’t New Years eve already. Back on the boat there seemed more boats at anchor and lots of motorboats arriving in the dark, it was a bit chaotic but a boat patrolling in front of us stopped boats passing beyond us. The reason was a grand firework display from the fort and on our boat we had front row seats as it were. Told Ged it was arranged specially for a grand send off for him.
In morning it was time for Ged to catch the bus to the airport to fly home
by chris | Jan 2016 | UK to New Zealand
With Ged departed I made my way back to Grande Anse for a relaxing couple of days before feeling the need to move on. A day sail then took me to St Pierre for an overnight anchorage before the passage to Dominica. Decided not to stop in Dominica this time, the weather was a little unsettled very rainy just a couple of overnights anchorage at Rosseau and Portsmouth. Bit of a blow was the stove not working one morning so no tea as the fuel line had developed a leak, not surprising really I suppose as it was probably the original hose and it had perished. Evening meal problem solved by eating ashore, seared tuna on a bed of spinach and lentils, delicious. I was able to buy a new piece of fuel hose in Portsmouth next day though so was back in business.
On then to Guadelope, by passing Les Saintes this time as I had visited then twice before I headed for Pointe de Pitre. A quiet anchorage here but not the most scenic in the Caribbean with container docks and the like. Still it enable to give my dirty washing to the laundry for a much needed wash and stock up on supplies from the supermarket. It being France of course that meant cheap French wine and cheese mainly.
On the to Saint Francois out to the east of the long thin peninsular that sticks out to the Atlantic. Endless tacking that day but the wind was light and the seas flat. For that I was grateful for the entrance to St Francois is through a narrow passage in the reefs, fortunately well buoyed but with breaking waves both sides. Anchoring in the lagoon was very peaceful. I hitched hiked to Point les Chateaux next morning, it being Sunday and no buses.
Point des Chateaux
A spectacular point and walked along the coast, found myself on a nudist beach so not having taken swimming things with me I available myself of the opportunity for a skinny dip. Further on past Pt des Gourdes another beach and a welcome beer in a bar before hitching back.
Bullock cart Marie-Galante
Marie-Galante was next stop, had to motor but not too far as the winds have deserted us. Anchored in St Louis Bay, a wonderful wide shallow bay with water so crystal clear. Its like the island that time forget, bullock carts used to take the rum from the distillery down to the beach and put on a raft out to a two masted barque at anchor in the bay.
Walk along the coast here around the headland to Anse Canot, just another lovely Caribbean beach. Ate ashore, “Aissiette de Creole”.
The wind was back for a passage back to the main Island, light at first so rigged the big red and white cruising chute. It got a bit of a handful when the wind piped up later and I handed it just short of rounding Pt a Launay at the southern tip of Guadeloupe. Round this and in the lee it was flat calm so motored to Riverie Sens, where I anchored off a black sand beach. The holding here was non too good, very weedy so on signs of dragging at dusk I moved on to a vacant mooring buoy.
A walk to Basse Terre, a bus to St Caude and hitched up the car park at the start of the track up the Soufriere volcano. At first through rain forest it emerges onto drier savanne before tackling the final ascent of the cone. It was a little bit misty on the top so the fine views were missing but the craters vents and fumoroles were impressive with a fine suphurous smell, well worth the effort of ascent.
Les Saintes from Soufreire
Soufreire
Soufreire volcano
Next day on to Deshaises at the North of the island. Ashore time to search out Madame Sorbet with her delicious coconut flavoured sorbet. A long queue to complete departure formalities then a beer on a terrace overlooking the bay. Back at the boat time to deflate and stow the dinghy for an early start in the morning to make for Antigua.
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