February 23,2008

We set out to sail to Nevis and St. Kitts on Tuesday, Feb. 19, but somehow didn't realize how long a trip it was--7 hours--and realized we needed to get an earlier start. So instead we sailed up to Jolly Harbour, a pleasant sail but with big, 7-10 foot waves and plenty of wind. When we arrived, our starboard motor failed to go into gear. Uh-oh! So, Mike decided we'd spend Wednesday figuring out that problem before we could go on to Nevis.

Luck was with us, though. Mike soon discovered that the cotter pin had broken and with a new one on board, we were in business in no time. However, we still needed a full day of sailing, so opted to spend another night in Jolly Harbor.

Thursday morning, we took off at 6:30 a.m.--quite early for us. There was a little wind and the seas were calm. Unfortunately, that meant we had to motor a good way before the wind built. Plus there were squalls all around us meaning we couldn't use our spinnaker. However, we enjoyed our day arriving in Nevis about 2:45. We located our friend Clark, who was parked just south of Pinney Beach, without difficulty and enjoyed a pleasant evening with him. We had met Clark in George Town, Bahamas, last February. He has since been down to Grenada where he spent hurricane season and is on his way back now.

Friday we went in to Charlestown (pictured above), the birthplace of Alexander Hamilton and the capital of Nevis. It's a charming little town with colorful buildings on the waterfront and friendly townspeople. We did the obligatory check-in--one can't anchor a boat without ensuring they've let the customs/immigration officials know they're there. Usually there's a fee involved as well. This was no exception. In fact, once again, there was a lot of paperwork to fill out followed by a four-block trek to the police building to have our passports stamped. Oh, well. It was worth it. We are very impressed with Nevis. We lunched at a place called Unella's (pictured above) with a beautiful view of the coast with sandy white beaches and palm trees. Then had dinner with Clark aboard our boat.

Today we moved from Pinney's Beach to Cades Point, three miles north, with plans to snorkel. Because the ocean was a bit choppy, we put off our snorkeling till tomorrow.

February 17

On Saturday, February 16, we enjoyed an unusual event at The Catamaran Club, outside of whose marina we are anchored. They sponsored a Build Your Own Boat (BYOB) event where different teams from the Wobbly Club competed. All had about two hours to build a small boat of particle board, duct tape, glue, etc.--spartan equipment, you can tell. There were about 10 teams. At 4:30, time was called and the boats were divided into two categories: those that would sail their crafts and those who powered their crafts other ways such as rowing or motoring, etc. There were numerous spectators sharing opinions and watching avidly as the participants hustled to finish their boats. There was even a kids' entry. All had a great time, even the two boats that got dumped in the drink after taking off on the brief path to the finish line.

Above are some pictures of the event as well as one of The Catamaran Club.

Antigua, Feb. 17, 2008

Sticking to the busses is not without risk. Bus drivers seem to compete with each other on speed, how close they can come to each other without missing a beat, and how close they can come to individuals walking in the street. That said, I'd rather take the bus than a car. The bus system works very well. One just needs to hail a bus which come every few minutes. The price into St. John's is $3, Easter Caribbean, which they state as "3 dollars." One must always make sure that the price quoted is US dollars or EC dollars, as 1 US dollar equals about 2.70 EC dollars. The bus goes to a central bus station across from the market although people get on and off all the way there.

Yesterday we made our second trip into St. John's primarily to go to the market for fresh vegetables. Our trip was fun. There are tons of vendors inside an old concrete hall-like building with a myriad of tomatoes, cucumbers, bora beans (not unlike green beans, but longer) and other assorted known and unknown vegetables. We bought a few things, not much because things don't keep well in this climate and we don't like to throw away food. There were also many vendors set up outside around the market and up and down the streets. Many street vendors are selling CDs which blare on outdoor speakers on each and every corner. St. John's is a busy, busy place with lots of locals and tourists milling about in the streets, vying for space on the limited sidewalks or trying to stay out of the paths of cars, trucks and busses.

After buying a few veggies, we hopped a bus to a large shopping center a little north of town called Woods Center. There is a large, well-stocked grocery store there called Epicurean. We were very glad we'd gone. We were able to get some pork chops, chicken, bacon and other foodstuffs that we hadn't seen in Falmouth Harbor, where we are anchored. There was also a Radio Shack where we searched for a battery charger without luck. After shopping, we hopped the bus back to the main station in St. John's to change to the bus back to Falmouth Harbor. A successful, enjoyable day.

Pictured above are the marketplace and a statue there of the famous Antiguan founder, Sir Vere Cornwall Bird.

Feb. 12,2008

Since our Christmas and New Year's holidays spent in St. Maarten/St. Martin and Anguilla, we parked in St. Martin to await the arrival of Colorado friends, Larry and Dana Darien. Sue went to Maryland to help her mother move to a retirement home then returned in time for a sail to St. Barth's and on to Antigua.

The Dariens arrived on Jan. 24th. Unfortunately, we had to stay put in the St. Martin area because of weather and waves which prohibited safe travel onward. However,we spent a couple of days in a favorite spot, Grand Case, sampling Germaine's fried chicken and ribs and lounging at the Calmos Cafe, a great beach bar. Finally on Feb. 3 we were able to move. On St. Barth's we visited a couple of favorite haunts from a trip five years ago with the Dariens--a boulangerie with great pastries and a restaurant that promised the Superbowl for Larry and Dana, but in the end couldn't deliver.

A night sail to Antigua proved challenging with higher than expected waves and wind, but we made it. We rented a car which Mike agreed to drive to see the island. Poor Mike! Driving Antigua's twisty, pothole-filled roads fighting the speed -crazed Antiguan drivers took its toll. Mike and I couldn't wait to get rid of the car. We'll stick to busses from now on.