Time of writing this post....March 2018
The Atlantic crossing season occurs every winter from late November to late December. During this time 4-5000 sailors will cross from Europe (LasPalmas) to the Caribbean, but I had no desire to be one of them, so I left that 3000 mile adventure to the 3 Rohn men and I have no regrets about that decision.
The plan was to meet up again in St. Lucia in January after Erik and Christian had gone back to Germany. I flew into St. Lucia the first week in January. I was picked up by a limo and driver for the hour drive into Rodney Bay Marina.
Rodney Bay Marina has quite a nice Caribbean atmosphere with great waterfront restaurants overlooking the marina with a wide selection of food choices ranging from local cuisine, pizzeria, Thai, Sushi, Indian or continental. The marina also has a small selection of shops including a small supermarket and a large duty-free chandlery where we bought a new Dinghy.
Second day in, we were just walking up dock to enjoy free wifi and a coffee when we saw two dinghies collide in the channel. Details are fuzzy, but people were hurt and bleeding, ambulance was called. Third day we took a ride with our new dinghy and ran out of gas so rowing back to our boat was our only option. It was our bad luck day, because 2 minutes into rowing one of the oars snapped out of its holder and left us stranded. Luckily we were rescued and towed back to our boat. Next morning we left the marina to anchor just outside the marina entrance in order to clean the waterline and reattach sails. This is the time we started listening to the cruisers net on the radio for safety and security issues. Between boat break ins and stolen items we no longer felt safe there and headed towards Marigo Bay the next morning.
Wolfgang had made friends with other sailors from the ARC. One couple we hooked up with was Eckerhart and Loni. After a brief acclimatization period we headed to Marigo Bay Marina and resort, my first real taste of the Caribbean.
Marigo Bay is a hurricane hole sheltered in the worst weather by the steep hill sides that surround its small deep harbour. It feels like a secret treasure and the charming serene ambiance draws people in to explore the different restaurants and natural beauty.
We were fortunate enough to find an empty mooring spot available at the Chateau Mygo House of Seafood. Their food is inspired from all over the world with a French/creole infusion and sometimes an Indian twist. their food is unique and definitely delicious. The overnight mooring is free if you have dinner at their restaurant.
We stayed in radio contact with Eckhart and loni and decided to meet up with them in Admiralty Bay, Bequia.
After our gusty 11 hour sail we arrived in Admiralty Bay spotted Loni3 and needed to hook up to a mooring. As a rule, through out the Caribbean, what passes for a mooring in most cases is nothing more than a chunk of chain or cement block. The "boat boys" renting these fake moorings take advantage of the unsuspecting clueless cruiser, us included.
Bequia is the second largest island in the Grenadines, but it is a small island with only approx. 4300 locals, all trying to make a living from the cruisers. Bequia is one of the few places in the world where limited whaling is still allowed. Natives are allowed to catch up to four humpback whales per year using only traditional hunting methods of hand-thrown harpoons in small, open sailboats.
At the back of the bay lies Port Elizabeth, Bequia's capital with colourful wooden buildings with vendors selling T-shirts and handicrafts. We bought 2 illustrated books for the boys.
The taxi excursion took us to the Old Hegg turtle sanctuary where a retired fisherman nurtures baby hawkbills before releasing them.
The wonderful day ended with dinner at the Auberge restaurant which included mango mojitos, lobster salad and wine.
Moving on to Salt Whistle Bay, Mayeau Island
The pictures speak for themselves, heavenly spot with colourful locals.
We ate a delicious BBQed lobster on the beach.
Sadly we said our farewells to Loni and Eckhart sailing in different directions.
Moving on to Union Island, we tied up at the Anchorage Yacht Club, nice little place great food. Had another lobster and ribs dinner while the steel drum band played for 3 hours and realized that I actually don't like steel drum music after a short time it all sounds the same to me. The most exciting feature on Union Island is that it has become the new kite surfing heaven of the Caribbean very fun to watch.
A cold front had come in with gusty winds and rain. The dockage here was rickety so we had to reposition SA during the rain storm because the anchor wasn't holding, next day we headed to the other side of Union Island, Chatham Bay. While still on the Clifton side we hooked up with a local couple who owned the beach restaurant in Chatham Bay. They took us with them in the morning; we stayed all day for lunch and dinner. We had no way of getting back on our own so we stayed until they closed. The only thing we didnt count on was that they charged us for the ride.
Everybody is looking for a hand out. The next day we took SA around to Chatham Bay and we anchored there 3 days before heading to Tobago Cays.
Snorkelling within the protected area of the lagoon is interesting and easy. This world renown Marine Park did not disappoint. as you can image the snorkelling was spectacular.
February 17/15 we arrived in Grenada after a 7 hour sail from Petite St. Vincent. Winds blew between 20-25 knots. St. Louis marina is a luxury super yacht marina directly in St. George's.
Grenada is also known as the "Spice Island" and unspoiled by mass tourism so we took a all-day tour in an air condition bus with 20 other people. We visited the River Antoine Estate Rum Distillery. This privately owned distillery whose processes have not changed since the 1800s, is the oldest functioning water-propelled distillery throughout the Caribbean.
Rum Distillery
We also looked in at the Gouyave Nutmeg Processing Station, the largest on the island.
My impression was that the people were friendly but without warmth, nobody goes out of their way to help and the service was slow everywhere. People seemed almost resentful.
Skipper had ordered a new Mastervolt easy view display from Budget Marine in Prickly Bay. Did a final shop at Foodland, best marinated chicken thighs in the Caribbean before heading to Prickly Bay.
Prickly Bay has a substantial cruising community with endless activities and excellent wifi. Our next stop was the Whisper Cove Marina. A small family owned and operated by a Canadian couple who had sailed from Montreal to Grenada in 2009. Cozy place with the best shower facility ever. Excellent food and service. Stayed at Whisper Cove for 8 days before taking the plunge of overnight sail to Trinidad.
Left Whisper Cove around 6pm with a warm, freshly made pizza, anticipating a delicious dinner, but no luck there. Winds extremely strong, waves confused, our stomachs unsettled. Awake all night...waves coming into cockpit, skipper seasick all night. Finally arrived in Trinidad at 8am looking for customs and immigration. Checked in...went for breakfast. Found Peaks Marina where docking was a considerable challenge.
The high temperature and high humidity here was unbearable for me. Now we had to prepare SA for her 7 month stay in Trinidad. Luckily we had booked an air conditioned room for sleeping. Left Trinidad March 17/15 returning to Toronto until the skipper returns in October.
The Atlantic crossing season occurs every winter from late November to late December. During this time 4-5000 sailors will cross from Europe (LasPalmas) to the Caribbean, but I had no desire to be one of them, so I left that 3000 mile adventure to the 3 Rohn men and I have no regrets about that decision.
The plan was to meet up again in St. Lucia in January after Erik and Christian had gone back to Germany. I flew into St. Lucia the first week in January. I was picked up by a limo and driver for the hour drive into Rodney Bay Marina.
Rodney Bay Marina has quite a nice Caribbean atmosphere with great waterfront restaurants overlooking the marina with a wide selection of food choices ranging from local cuisine, pizzeria, Thai, Sushi, Indian or continental. The marina also has a small selection of shops including a small supermarket and a large duty-free chandlery where we bought a new Dinghy.
Second day in, we were just walking up dock to enjoy free wifi and a coffee when we saw two dinghies collide in the channel. Details are fuzzy, but people were hurt and bleeding, ambulance was called. Third day we took a ride with our new dinghy and ran out of gas so rowing back to our boat was our only option. It was our bad luck day, because 2 minutes into rowing one of the oars snapped out of its holder and left us stranded. Luckily we were rescued and towed back to our boat. Next morning we left the marina to anchor just outside the marina entrance in order to clean the waterline and reattach sails. This is the time we started listening to the cruisers net on the radio for safety and security issues. Between boat break ins and stolen items we no longer felt safe there and headed towards Marigo Bay the next morning.
Wolfgang had made friends with other sailors from the ARC. One couple we hooked up with was Eckerhart and Loni. After a brief acclimatization period we headed to Marigo Bay Marina and resort, my first real taste of the Caribbean.
Marigo Bay is a hurricane hole sheltered in the worst weather by the steep hill sides that surround its small deep harbour. It feels like a secret treasure and the charming serene ambiance draws people in to explore the different restaurants and natural beauty.
We were fortunate enough to find an empty mooring spot available at the Chateau Mygo House of Seafood. Their food is inspired from all over the world with a French/creole infusion and sometimes an Indian twist. their food is unique and definitely delicious. The overnight mooring is free if you have dinner at their restaurant.
We stayed in radio contact with Eckhart and loni and decided to meet up with them in Admiralty Bay, Bequia.
After our gusty 11 hour sail we arrived in Admiralty Bay spotted Loni3 and needed to hook up to a mooring. As a rule, through out the Caribbean, what passes for a mooring in most cases is nothing more than a chunk of chain or cement block. The "boat boys" renting these fake moorings take advantage of the unsuspecting clueless cruiser, us included.
Bequia is the second largest island in the Grenadines, but it is a small island with only approx. 4300 locals, all trying to make a living from the cruisers. Bequia is one of the few places in the world where limited whaling is still allowed. Natives are allowed to catch up to four humpback whales per year using only traditional hunting methods of hand-thrown harpoons in small, open sailboats.
At the back of the bay lies Port Elizabeth, Bequia's capital with colourful wooden buildings with vendors selling T-shirts and handicrafts. We bought 2 illustrated books for the boys.
The taxi excursion took us to the Old Hegg turtle sanctuary where a retired fisherman nurtures baby hawkbills before releasing them.
The wonderful day ended with dinner at the Auberge restaurant which included mango mojitos, lobster salad and wine.
Moving on to Salt Whistle Bay, Mayeau Island
The pictures speak for themselves, heavenly spot with colourful locals.
We ate a delicious BBQed lobster on the beach.
Sadly we said our farewells to Loni and Eckhart sailing in different directions.
Moving on to Union Island, we tied up at the Anchorage Yacht Club, nice little place great food. Had another lobster and ribs dinner while the steel drum band played for 3 hours and realized that I actually don't like steel drum music after a short time it all sounds the same to me. The most exciting feature on Union Island is that it has become the new kite surfing heaven of the Caribbean very fun to watch.
A cold front had come in with gusty winds and rain. The dockage here was rickety so we had to reposition SA during the rain storm because the anchor wasn't holding, next day we headed to the other side of Union Island, Chatham Bay. While still on the Clifton side we hooked up with a local couple who owned the beach restaurant in Chatham Bay. They took us with them in the morning; we stayed all day for lunch and dinner. We had no way of getting back on our own so we stayed until they closed. The only thing we didnt count on was that they charged us for the ride.
Everybody is looking for a hand out. The next day we took SA around to Chatham Bay and we anchored there 3 days before heading to Tobago Cays.
February 17/15 we arrived in Grenada after a 7 hour sail from Petite St. Vincent. Winds blew between 20-25 knots. St. Louis marina is a luxury super yacht marina directly in St. George's.
Grenada is also known as the "Spice Island" and unspoiled by mass tourism so we took a all-day tour in an air condition bus with 20 other people. We visited the River Antoine Estate Rum Distillery. This privately owned distillery whose processes have not changed since the 1800s, is the oldest functioning water-propelled distillery throughout the Caribbean.
We also looked in at the Gouyave Nutmeg Processing Station, the largest on the island.
My impression was that the people were friendly but without warmth, nobody goes out of their way to help and the service was slow everywhere. People seemed almost resentful.
Skipper had ordered a new Mastervolt easy view display from Budget Marine in Prickly Bay. Did a final shop at Foodland, best marinated chicken thighs in the Caribbean before heading to Prickly Bay.
Prickly Bay has a substantial cruising community with endless activities and excellent wifi. Our next stop was the Whisper Cove Marina. A small family owned and operated by a Canadian couple who had sailed from Montreal to Grenada in 2009. Cozy place with the best shower facility ever. Excellent food and service. Stayed at Whisper Cove for 8 days before taking the plunge of overnight sail to Trinidad.
Left Whisper Cove around 6pm with a warm, freshly made pizza, anticipating a delicious dinner, but no luck there. Winds extremely strong, waves confused, our stomachs unsettled. Awake all night...waves coming into cockpit, skipper seasick all night. Finally arrived in Trinidad at 8am looking for customs and immigration. Checked in...went for breakfast. Found Peaks Marina where docking was a considerable challenge.
The high temperature and high humidity here was unbearable for me. Now we had to prepare SA for her 7 month stay in Trinidad. Luckily we had booked an air conditioned room for sleeping. Left Trinidad March 17/15 returning to Toronto until the skipper returns in October.
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