| WINDWARD ISLANDS |
The Windward Islands were dubbed as such by the British, because you had to beat to windward to get to the islands from their other
possessions in the area (like the British Virgin Islands).
Martinique (March 2008 - April 2008) - We had a couple of hours of motor sailing to get to the southernmost point of Dominica on
our way to Martinique. The forecast called for more of the same. Wind about twenty with waves six to eight. Only this time, our point of
sail was more like seventy degrees. We were in for a rough one. We had only twenty six open water miles and we were trying to make
that before noon when numerous squalls were due in (with much bigger seas). The sail was fast and rough, but at the end we were no
worse for the wear, except maybe a bit wet.
We thought the island was the prettiest yet. On the northern part of the island was Mt. Pelee, the largest volcano that we have seen yet.
In 1902 it erupted and wiped out northern part of the island, which was the most populated part of the island in those days. Much like
Montserrat. As you can see from our pictures, a hundred odd years works wonders for the beauty of a volcanic island. Montserrat has
much to look forward to.
About three, we made it to the relative protection of Fort de France. Fort de France is a relatively large bay with several anchorages.
Our plan was to anchor overnight then to go early the next morning to very good protection in Marin (right next to St. Anne but much
more protected) on the southern end before the really strong winds and swells came to town. It took a while to get to our anchorage in
Trois Ilets because we had to wait in place several times until some fairly windy squalls passed through. It would have been folly to make
our way into a small, shoally, unknown anchorage in the midst of strong wind and rain. We finally dropped the hook for the night and
were off about daylight the next morning. Had time permitted, we would have stayed a couple of days. The town looked very quaint and
charming and happened to be the birthplace and childhood home of Napoleon's Josephine. Never know what you may run into out here.
We only had about twenty miles to cover on our way to Marin, but the last eight or so would be directly into wind and waves. When we
rounded the southern tip of the island and headed east, the wind was howling at twenty to twenty five and the waves were no fun. We
were expecting those conditions and had the main sail reefed at about half with the stay sail up, sheeting both as tight as we could get
them. The motor was running at about 2500 rpm. We could point really high with that configuration but still had to tack a few times to
make the harbor, at times only making about four knots along the way. By the time we got within a mile of the harbor channel and had
taken in the sails, the wind was blowing so hard that we could only make three and a half knots into the wind. We finally get anchored
around noon just before a squall slammed us hard. We were exhausted. But hey. We and the boat made it in one piece and no damage
done. We were now in one of the most protected harbors in the Caribbean. Good thing because the weather forecast called for wind of 25
to 30 with lots of squalls for the next five days. Home, sweet home.
We ended up spending about a week in Marin. As advertised, the wind blew really hard for about a week. It also rained cats and dogs
(not really) several times each day. When you get in that kind of weather, the noise level is so high that it really wears on you. We never
worried about our anchor dragging because holding was good. As long as holding is decent, Big Dog and lots of chain insures that we stay
put. At the end of the week, we were just ready for a break. The weather finally broke on a Monday and our plan was to leave at sun up
on Tuesday.
Marin was actually very nice. It is a very large protected body of water with many places to anchor. It also has a very large marina. We
are guessing that there were five hundred boats in Marin, but the anchorage was so large we never felt crowded. Marin was a nice little
town and for the mariner had everything you could possibly need. We would definitely stop in Marin again.
St. Lucia (April 2008) - On Tuesday morning the forecast called for twenty knot winds and six to eight foot seas. A bit rough, but the
wind and waves would be on our stern quarter, so the ride should not be too uncomfortable. It was only 22 miles to the north side of Saint
Lucia and another 15 or so to our planned anchorage between the famed twin Pitons of Saint Lucia.
It turned out to be one of the best sails we have ever had. Just click on the following and you should be able to see a one minute clip. Oh,
the island in the distance is Martinique. Wind at twenty. Waves about seven feet. Point of sail at 100 degrees. Main and jib up. No
reefs. Speed at over eight knots. Priceless.
We arrived at the Pitons by early afternoon. We had to pick up a mooring, because the water was very deep and the entire area was a
national park (no anchoring allowed even if you could). Of course, the boat boys were there to weasel money out of you, so it cost us
about ten bucks for help in picking up the mooring (we really didn't need any help). About dusk, the park ranger came by for his fifteen
bucks for the mooring. The good news is that we did not have to clear in and just flew our Q flag for the night.
The cruising guide said that shrieking wind gusts come down from the Pitons and the anchorage could be rolly. Well, the guide was right
about the gusts of wind and the anchorage was so rolly we got almost no sleep. About one in the morning Leta had had it and said that we
should get the hell out. We did get out, but waited until about three to get moving.
St. Vincent and the Grenadines (April 2008) - We had another great sail covering the 30 odd miles to the northern tip of Saint
Vincent very quickly. Once behind the lee of the island we motor sailed another 15 or so miles to our planned anchorage (actually
another mooring ball situation) at Wallilabou Bay (where the Pirates of the Caribbean was filmed). We would definitely need the boat
boys here because you had to pick up a mooring and have one of the boys tie your stern to shore. We could see the boat boys a couple of
miles away from us and at least a mile out from the anchorage waiting to convince us that they were the one to help. We were not looking
forward to that much competition among the boys. When we were within binocular distance, Leta turned around and said that we should
pass on the anchorage and keep going. She decided the mooring balls were way too tight and she spotted a whole crowd of tourist types
milling around the restaurant that had been redone for the film. We do not like the cruise ship crowds and all those tourists had to be
from a cruise ship stopover on another part of the island.
There was really no other place to stay in Saint Vincent. Sure, there were other anchorages, but there were recent reports of armed
robberies (machetes and guns). No thanks.
So, the early departure from the Pitons worked in our favor and we had plenty of time to pass Saint Vincent and arrive at the first of the
Grenadines, Bequia, by mid-afternoon. We planned on staying one night and moving on to Union Island (the last of the Grenadines
before Grenada) the next morning. Oh, the reason we planned on moving so quickly was that a north swell was coming. Imagine that.
The good news was that it was only about six feet. The bad news was that the anchorage at Bequia was exposed to the north. We had
picked the anchorage at Frigate Island on Union Island to hide from the swell. Besides. We wanted to stay a few days in the Grenadines.
The Grenadines are part of Saint Vincent, so we cleared in at Bequia. By then it was late afternoon and we were so tired we couldn't
sleep. So we decided to eat at a restaurant that was recommended highly in the cruising guide. We eat out only rarely and this was one
of those once a month or so sort of things. The food was pretty good, but the prices were way too expensive. By the time we get back to
the boat we were so tired we slept the entire night despite the fact that the anchorage was almost as rolly as the Pitons.
The next morning we were on deck at daylight pulling in our anchor chain. We were off to Frigate Island looking forward for a few days in
one place. We had also planned to do a little fishing. After we were thirty minutes or so out, Leta checks email in case Chris Parker had
sent out his forecast early. She gets the email and comes up from below saying that I need to go down and read the email. I say, just tell
me the gist of it, and she says, no, go read it. You know trouble is brewing when she does that. Well, as you might have guessed by now,
the forecast was calling for the first Tropical Wave of the season (jeez, it's only April) to arrive in a couple of days.
We had just enough time to stay one night at Frigate Island and leave the following day for Grenada to arrive in Grenada the day before
the Tropical Wave was due to pass through. The weather this season has really sucked. It's like we have been running from weather
system after weather system and the weather windows have only been a day or two on average and very rarely four or five days. I guess
we could be working.
We almost turned around to clear out in Bequia. Had we known about the weather system the day before we could have cleared in and
cleared out the same day (most countries let you clear out at the same time you clear in if you plan to leave within twenty four hours - of
course if we plan to do that we usually do not clear in at all and just fly our Q flag and not go ashore). Anyway, we decide to keep going
and clear out at Union Island later that afternoon. The only problem would be to figure out how to get from our anchorage to the main
town of Clifton and back in one afternoon. We had planned on clearing out from Union Island anyway, but when we hatched our plan days
earlier we thought we had much more time.
Okay. We get to Frigate Island about one. The anchorage was what we thought it would be. Very pretty. All alone. Of course there was
no time to enjoy it, I had to get moving. The dinghy goes in the water (it takes awhile to get the thing down when it's secured for sea) and
we get out the charts to figure how best to get into town. We decide that Leta will drop me off at a huge defunct marina that was
someones boondoggle maybe 30 or 40 years ago. It looked like from there, I could hike through the maze of roads that had been built for
the marina (this thing was huge) and make my way to a road that would take me through the mangroves that would eventually intersect
with the main road to town.
Leta drops me off. I start hiking. About thirty minutes later I come to an old bridge that had collapsed on one end (remember the defunct
marina was old) which effectively created a mote where the tidal current was fairly strong. I almost called Leta on the handheld VHF to
come pick me up at he dropoff point so we could figure out a new plan. But after looking at the thing for a while I decided that I could
wade through in one particular shallow spot and only get wet up to my waist. I of course had my customs duds on (the good shorts and tee
shirt) and held the backpack that contained our boat docs and passports and stuff above my head and waded right in. I managed not to
slip on the rocks or loose my balance in the current and only got my shorts wet. Well anyway, I made it. From there an overgrown and
rarely used (no tire or people tracks) road took me to the intersection with the main road. Then, I hiked the remaining couple of miles to
town and asked a local where customs was located.
The cruising guide had said that customs was in town. Come to find out, customs and immigration was at the airport outside of town. The
person I was talking to (in some sort of revenue office I stumbled upon) said that the airport was too far to walk and she flagged down a
local driver to take me there. It was not really a taxi, it was like a local van service. The price was right (fifty cents to the airport) so I
climbed in. The guy also said he would wait for me. Twenty or thirty minutes later I had my clearance document and climbed back into
the van. I asked the guy to take me back to the intersection of the main road and the mangrove swamp road and I think he said yes and I
think he said a couple of bucks. It was hard to hear the guy because one - he had this sort of rasta accent and two - he had some sort of
rasta rap blaring so loud my head hurt. But hey, the price was right and it was getting late. So we leave the airport and by the time we
get back to town the guy had stopped several times there were about seven or eight locals crammed in the van. He also stops at a bar on
the side of the road and someone brings out a beer for him. We are definitely not in Kansas anymore, Toto.
A few minutes later, I'm walking through the mangroves on the unused road and before long I'm wading through the mote (of course the
tide is up and it's deeper and I'm wetter). Then about thirty minutes later I call Leta and she and Bogey pick me up and we get back to
the boat about four thirty, but not before we let Bogey have his way with the little beach where the dropoff and pick up occurred (illegally
of course since Bogey was supposed to stay on the boat in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines).
Grenada (April 2008 - May 2008) - Next morning we were on deck before daylight on our way to Grenada. It was a motor sail kind
of day which was just as well because the weather was so squally we had to keep the sails reefed anyway. We crossed Kick'em Jenny
(the active underwater volcano) outside of the 1.5 kilometer exclusion zone (yellow alert) and made it to the north side of Grenada about
noon. We motor sailed down the lee coast and rounded the southwest point of Grenada a couple of hours later and turned directly into the
wind, waves and two knot current. We only had a couple of miles to go to Prickly Bay (where customs was located) but it took us an hour.
Fun stuff.
We get to Prickly Bay just in time to get the dinghy down and make our way to customs and immigration before they close for the day
(waking the snoozing officers up in the process). Grenada was the most thorough clear in of any country so far. They even scanned the
code on our passports. Interesting. Anyway, we asked for and received a visa for two months. We planned on being here for a while
before moving on to Trinidad for hurricane season.
The next day we were up early moving due east to the anchorage at Clarke's Court Bay. Clarke's Court Bay was were we planned on
weathering the Tropical Wave. Oh, by the way. No one was calling it a Tropical Wave except Chris Parker. But Chris is right much
more often than he is wrong. So you can't ignore his advice. And, he has saved our bacon several times already. The distance was only
three or four miles, but again we were bashing directly into waves, wind and current. It took a while. We anchored nice and snug outside
of Clark's Court Bay Marina. Big Dog was down with lots of chain and we had lots of swinging room. We were ready for anything.
Clarke's Court Bay Marina is where we planned to leave Leta, Bogey and the boat while Ellis goes back to Dallas for a few days in early
May. First impression was that our selection of the marina was a good one. We have very good wireless internet access from the boat
(free) and the marina personnel and owner are very nice. And we are anchored - not in the marina. We'll report back later.
A few days later we took a slip in Clarke's Court Bay Marina and proceeded to do some long overdue maintenance items. Ellis waxed
the boat and did some thorough rust maintenance. Leta cleaned the mildew off the underside of our dodger and bimini. We also had a
diver redo the bottom of the boat (the guy from Shrimpy's in Simpson Bay must have watched the fish swim by in the nasty water because
he definitely did not clean our bottom), change a couple of zincs and grease the prop. We'll take a look later when we get to clean water,
but we think we got a quality job. Oh, and Ellis went back to Dallas for a few days for business reasons.
We would recommend Clarke's Court Bay Marina to anyone. The people were very nice, especially Chris and Barb (Moonsail) and the
owner Bob Blanc. The place was completely safe and secure and had a country feel to it. Just a great place to stay.
During our stay, we began discussing where to go next. We had reservations at Crews Inn in Trinidad for hurricane season. Trinidad
was only 80 miles south. Ellis was to return from Dallas on May 3rd so we had plenty of time to get to Trinidad by June 30 (the insurance
imposed deadline). The only problem was that we were hearing about piracy between Grenada and Trinidad and were hearing that the
security was becoming so bad in Trinidad that the marinas would basically lock you in at all times and even then there were thefts (at
least no reports of armed robberies or worse in the marinas yet). I guess it would be similar to the marina we stayed at for a few days in
Washington D.C. last summer, but we were talking about staying in Trinidad for six months. The reason that we would need six months is
that we didn't think it would be prudent to leave the area until December (the official end of hurricane season).
The other consideration that we were mulling over was which route to take to the western Caribbean. Some people go west from Trinidad
by hopping along the offshore islands of Venezuela, then along the Columbian coast to Cartegena and on to Panama. Others go direct,
about a ten day trip. We had ruled out Venezuela completely because of security concerns. There were many reports of armed
boardings, both while underway and anchored, with the captain usually being shot. No thanks. Just read the U.S. State department
discussion of safety in Venezuela. It's basically complete lawlessness there. Also, since we had decided that we shouldn't leave Trinidad
until December we would be outside of the recommended time to go west towards Panama. The reference books say that November and
May is really the only time to go that way. World Cruising Routes by Jimmy Cornell says, " This can be a very rough passage,
confirmed by the fact that many experienced sailors describe their passage across the Caribbean Sea perhaps as the roughest part of
their voyage around the world". Bottom line is that one must be very careful going west. Since we had decided we couldn't go in
November, we started thinking about May. Hey, it's May. Otherwise, next December, we would have to go back the way we came and
by the time we left Florida next season towards Mexico in the western Caribbean it would be April or May (basically a year later).
So here is what we came up with.
If we got a decent weather window within one week of Ellis' return to Grenada, we would go to Bonaire staying at least twenty miles north
of the Venezuela offshore islands and at least a hundred miles north of the Venezuela mainland. That trip would be a little over 400 miles
and take 60 hours. From there we would make our way the remaining 500 miles or so along the Colombian coast as weather permitted.
We decided that we had a reasonable chance to get to Cartagena by the end of May or the first week in June as long as we began the trip
by May the 10th (three or four weeks to work with).
Well. Ellis gets back Saturday night and by mid-morning Sunday we decided to give it a go. The forecast called for 18 to 20 knot winds
with six to seven foot seas for three days (all downwind). After that the wind was supposed to kick up to 25 or 30 for four or five days (ten
to twelve foot seas). If we didn't take the window now, we would be in Trinidad for the season. We left at three in the afternoon.
possessions in the area (like the British Virgin Islands).
Martinique (March 2008 - April 2008) - We had a couple of hours of motor sailing to get to the southernmost point of Dominica on
our way to Martinique. The forecast called for more of the same. Wind about twenty with waves six to eight. Only this time, our point of
sail was more like seventy degrees. We were in for a rough one. We had only twenty six open water miles and we were trying to make
that before noon when numerous squalls were due in (with much bigger seas). The sail was fast and rough, but at the end we were no
worse for the wear, except maybe a bit wet.
We thought the island was the prettiest yet. On the northern part of the island was Mt. Pelee, the largest volcano that we have seen yet.
In 1902 it erupted and wiped out northern part of the island, which was the most populated part of the island in those days. Much like
Montserrat. As you can see from our pictures, a hundred odd years works wonders for the beauty of a volcanic island. Montserrat has
much to look forward to.
About three, we made it to the relative protection of Fort de France. Fort de France is a relatively large bay with several anchorages.
Our plan was to anchor overnight then to go early the next morning to very good protection in Marin (right next to St. Anne but much
more protected) on the southern end before the really strong winds and swells came to town. It took a while to get to our anchorage in
Trois Ilets because we had to wait in place several times until some fairly windy squalls passed through. It would have been folly to make
our way into a small, shoally, unknown anchorage in the midst of strong wind and rain. We finally dropped the hook for the night and
were off about daylight the next morning. Had time permitted, we would have stayed a couple of days. The town looked very quaint and
charming and happened to be the birthplace and childhood home of Napoleon's Josephine. Never know what you may run into out here.
We only had about twenty miles to cover on our way to Marin, but the last eight or so would be directly into wind and waves. When we
rounded the southern tip of the island and headed east, the wind was howling at twenty to twenty five and the waves were no fun. We
were expecting those conditions and had the main sail reefed at about half with the stay sail up, sheeting both as tight as we could get
them. The motor was running at about 2500 rpm. We could point really high with that configuration but still had to tack a few times to
make the harbor, at times only making about four knots along the way. By the time we got within a mile of the harbor channel and had
taken in the sails, the wind was blowing so hard that we could only make three and a half knots into the wind. We finally get anchored
around noon just before a squall slammed us hard. We were exhausted. But hey. We and the boat made it in one piece and no damage
done. We were now in one of the most protected harbors in the Caribbean. Good thing because the weather forecast called for wind of 25
to 30 with lots of squalls for the next five days. Home, sweet home.
We ended up spending about a week in Marin. As advertised, the wind blew really hard for about a week. It also rained cats and dogs
(not really) several times each day. When you get in that kind of weather, the noise level is so high that it really wears on you. We never
worried about our anchor dragging because holding was good. As long as holding is decent, Big Dog and lots of chain insures that we stay
put. At the end of the week, we were just ready for a break. The weather finally broke on a Monday and our plan was to leave at sun up
on Tuesday.
Marin was actually very nice. It is a very large protected body of water with many places to anchor. It also has a very large marina. We
are guessing that there were five hundred boats in Marin, but the anchorage was so large we never felt crowded. Marin was a nice little
town and for the mariner had everything you could possibly need. We would definitely stop in Marin again.
St. Lucia (April 2008) - On Tuesday morning the forecast called for twenty knot winds and six to eight foot seas. A bit rough, but the
wind and waves would be on our stern quarter, so the ride should not be too uncomfortable. It was only 22 miles to the north side of Saint
Lucia and another 15 or so to our planned anchorage between the famed twin Pitons of Saint Lucia.
It turned out to be one of the best sails we have ever had. Just click on the following and you should be able to see a one minute clip. Oh,
the island in the distance is Martinique. Wind at twenty. Waves about seven feet. Point of sail at 100 degrees. Main and jib up. No
reefs. Speed at over eight knots. Priceless.
We arrived at the Pitons by early afternoon. We had to pick up a mooring, because the water was very deep and the entire area was a
national park (no anchoring allowed even if you could). Of course, the boat boys were there to weasel money out of you, so it cost us
about ten bucks for help in picking up the mooring (we really didn't need any help). About dusk, the park ranger came by for his fifteen
bucks for the mooring. The good news is that we did not have to clear in and just flew our Q flag for the night.
The cruising guide said that shrieking wind gusts come down from the Pitons and the anchorage could be rolly. Well, the guide was right
about the gusts of wind and the anchorage was so rolly we got almost no sleep. About one in the morning Leta had had it and said that we
should get the hell out. We did get out, but waited until about three to get moving.
St. Vincent and the Grenadines (April 2008) - We had another great sail covering the 30 odd miles to the northern tip of Saint
Vincent very quickly. Once behind the lee of the island we motor sailed another 15 or so miles to our planned anchorage (actually
another mooring ball situation) at Wallilabou Bay (where the Pirates of the Caribbean was filmed). We would definitely need the boat
boys here because you had to pick up a mooring and have one of the boys tie your stern to shore. We could see the boat boys a couple of
miles away from us and at least a mile out from the anchorage waiting to convince us that they were the one to help. We were not looking
forward to that much competition among the boys. When we were within binocular distance, Leta turned around and said that we should
pass on the anchorage and keep going. She decided the mooring balls were way too tight and she spotted a whole crowd of tourist types
milling around the restaurant that had been redone for the film. We do not like the cruise ship crowds and all those tourists had to be
from a cruise ship stopover on another part of the island.
There was really no other place to stay in Saint Vincent. Sure, there were other anchorages, but there were recent reports of armed
robberies (machetes and guns). No thanks.
So, the early departure from the Pitons worked in our favor and we had plenty of time to pass Saint Vincent and arrive at the first of the
Grenadines, Bequia, by mid-afternoon. We planned on staying one night and moving on to Union Island (the last of the Grenadines
before Grenada) the next morning. Oh, the reason we planned on moving so quickly was that a north swell was coming. Imagine that.
The good news was that it was only about six feet. The bad news was that the anchorage at Bequia was exposed to the north. We had
picked the anchorage at Frigate Island on Union Island to hide from the swell. Besides. We wanted to stay a few days in the Grenadines.
The Grenadines are part of Saint Vincent, so we cleared in at Bequia. By then it was late afternoon and we were so tired we couldn't
sleep. So we decided to eat at a restaurant that was recommended highly in the cruising guide. We eat out only rarely and this was one
of those once a month or so sort of things. The food was pretty good, but the prices were way too expensive. By the time we get back to
the boat we were so tired we slept the entire night despite the fact that the anchorage was almost as rolly as the Pitons.
The next morning we were on deck at daylight pulling in our anchor chain. We were off to Frigate Island looking forward for a few days in
one place. We had also planned to do a little fishing. After we were thirty minutes or so out, Leta checks email in case Chris Parker had
sent out his forecast early. She gets the email and comes up from below saying that I need to go down and read the email. I say, just tell
me the gist of it, and she says, no, go read it. You know trouble is brewing when she does that. Well, as you might have guessed by now,
the forecast was calling for the first Tropical Wave of the season (jeez, it's only April) to arrive in a couple of days.
We had just enough time to stay one night at Frigate Island and leave the following day for Grenada to arrive in Grenada the day before
the Tropical Wave was due to pass through. The weather this season has really sucked. It's like we have been running from weather
system after weather system and the weather windows have only been a day or two on average and very rarely four or five days. I guess
we could be working.
We almost turned around to clear out in Bequia. Had we known about the weather system the day before we could have cleared in and
cleared out the same day (most countries let you clear out at the same time you clear in if you plan to leave within twenty four hours - of
course if we plan to do that we usually do not clear in at all and just fly our Q flag and not go ashore). Anyway, we decide to keep going
and clear out at Union Island later that afternoon. The only problem would be to figure out how to get from our anchorage to the main
town of Clifton and back in one afternoon. We had planned on clearing out from Union Island anyway, but when we hatched our plan days
earlier we thought we had much more time.
Okay. We get to Frigate Island about one. The anchorage was what we thought it would be. Very pretty. All alone. Of course there was
no time to enjoy it, I had to get moving. The dinghy goes in the water (it takes awhile to get the thing down when it's secured for sea) and
we get out the charts to figure how best to get into town. We decide that Leta will drop me off at a huge defunct marina that was
someones boondoggle maybe 30 or 40 years ago. It looked like from there, I could hike through the maze of roads that had been built for
the marina (this thing was huge) and make my way to a road that would take me through the mangroves that would eventually intersect
with the main road to town.
Leta drops me off. I start hiking. About thirty minutes later I come to an old bridge that had collapsed on one end (remember the defunct
marina was old) which effectively created a mote where the tidal current was fairly strong. I almost called Leta on the handheld VHF to
come pick me up at he dropoff point so we could figure out a new plan. But after looking at the thing for a while I decided that I could
wade through in one particular shallow spot and only get wet up to my waist. I of course had my customs duds on (the good shorts and tee
shirt) and held the backpack that contained our boat docs and passports and stuff above my head and waded right in. I managed not to
slip on the rocks or loose my balance in the current and only got my shorts wet. Well anyway, I made it. From there an overgrown and
rarely used (no tire or people tracks) road took me to the intersection with the main road. Then, I hiked the remaining couple of miles to
town and asked a local where customs was located.
The cruising guide had said that customs was in town. Come to find out, customs and immigration was at the airport outside of town. The
person I was talking to (in some sort of revenue office I stumbled upon) said that the airport was too far to walk and she flagged down a
local driver to take me there. It was not really a taxi, it was like a local van service. The price was right (fifty cents to the airport) so I
climbed in. The guy also said he would wait for me. Twenty or thirty minutes later I had my clearance document and climbed back into
the van. I asked the guy to take me back to the intersection of the main road and the mangrove swamp road and I think he said yes and I
think he said a couple of bucks. It was hard to hear the guy because one - he had this sort of rasta accent and two - he had some sort of
rasta rap blaring so loud my head hurt. But hey, the price was right and it was getting late. So we leave the airport and by the time we
get back to town the guy had stopped several times there were about seven or eight locals crammed in the van. He also stops at a bar on
the side of the road and someone brings out a beer for him. We are definitely not in Kansas anymore, Toto.
A few minutes later, I'm walking through the mangroves on the unused road and before long I'm wading through the mote (of course the
tide is up and it's deeper and I'm wetter). Then about thirty minutes later I call Leta and she and Bogey pick me up and we get back to
the boat about four thirty, but not before we let Bogey have his way with the little beach where the dropoff and pick up occurred (illegally
of course since Bogey was supposed to stay on the boat in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines).
Grenada (April 2008 - May 2008) - Next morning we were on deck before daylight on our way to Grenada. It was a motor sail kind
of day which was just as well because the weather was so squally we had to keep the sails reefed anyway. We crossed Kick'em Jenny
(the active underwater volcano) outside of the 1.5 kilometer exclusion zone (yellow alert) and made it to the north side of Grenada about
noon. We motor sailed down the lee coast and rounded the southwest point of Grenada a couple of hours later and turned directly into the
wind, waves and two knot current. We only had a couple of miles to go to Prickly Bay (where customs was located) but it took us an hour.
Fun stuff.
We get to Prickly Bay just in time to get the dinghy down and make our way to customs and immigration before they close for the day
(waking the snoozing officers up in the process). Grenada was the most thorough clear in of any country so far. They even scanned the
code on our passports. Interesting. Anyway, we asked for and received a visa for two months. We planned on being here for a while
before moving on to Trinidad for hurricane season.
The next day we were up early moving due east to the anchorage at Clarke's Court Bay. Clarke's Court Bay was were we planned on
weathering the Tropical Wave. Oh, by the way. No one was calling it a Tropical Wave except Chris Parker. But Chris is right much
more often than he is wrong. So you can't ignore his advice. And, he has saved our bacon several times already. The distance was only
three or four miles, but again we were bashing directly into waves, wind and current. It took a while. We anchored nice and snug outside
of Clark's Court Bay Marina. Big Dog was down with lots of chain and we had lots of swinging room. We were ready for anything.
Clarke's Court Bay Marina is where we planned to leave Leta, Bogey and the boat while Ellis goes back to Dallas for a few days in early
May. First impression was that our selection of the marina was a good one. We have very good wireless internet access from the boat
(free) and the marina personnel and owner are very nice. And we are anchored - not in the marina. We'll report back later.
A few days later we took a slip in Clarke's Court Bay Marina and proceeded to do some long overdue maintenance items. Ellis waxed
the boat and did some thorough rust maintenance. Leta cleaned the mildew off the underside of our dodger and bimini. We also had a
diver redo the bottom of the boat (the guy from Shrimpy's in Simpson Bay must have watched the fish swim by in the nasty water because
he definitely did not clean our bottom), change a couple of zincs and grease the prop. We'll take a look later when we get to clean water,
but we think we got a quality job. Oh, and Ellis went back to Dallas for a few days for business reasons.
We would recommend Clarke's Court Bay Marina to anyone. The people were very nice, especially Chris and Barb (Moonsail) and the
owner Bob Blanc. The place was completely safe and secure and had a country feel to it. Just a great place to stay.
During our stay, we began discussing where to go next. We had reservations at Crews Inn in Trinidad for hurricane season. Trinidad
was only 80 miles south. Ellis was to return from Dallas on May 3rd so we had plenty of time to get to Trinidad by June 30 (the insurance
imposed deadline). The only problem was that we were hearing about piracy between Grenada and Trinidad and were hearing that the
security was becoming so bad in Trinidad that the marinas would basically lock you in at all times and even then there were thefts (at
least no reports of armed robberies or worse in the marinas yet). I guess it would be similar to the marina we stayed at for a few days in
Washington D.C. last summer, but we were talking about staying in Trinidad for six months. The reason that we would need six months is
that we didn't think it would be prudent to leave the area until December (the official end of hurricane season).
The other consideration that we were mulling over was which route to take to the western Caribbean. Some people go west from Trinidad
by hopping along the offshore islands of Venezuela, then along the Columbian coast to Cartegena and on to Panama. Others go direct,
about a ten day trip. We had ruled out Venezuela completely because of security concerns. There were many reports of armed
boardings, both while underway and anchored, with the captain usually being shot. No thanks. Just read the U.S. State department
discussion of safety in Venezuela. It's basically complete lawlessness there. Also, since we had decided that we shouldn't leave Trinidad
until December we would be outside of the recommended time to go west towards Panama. The reference books say that November and
May is really the only time to go that way. World Cruising Routes by Jimmy Cornell says, " This can be a very rough passage,
confirmed by the fact that many experienced sailors describe their passage across the Caribbean Sea perhaps as the roughest part of
their voyage around the world". Bottom line is that one must be very careful going west. Since we had decided we couldn't go in
November, we started thinking about May. Hey, it's May. Otherwise, next December, we would have to go back the way we came and
by the time we left Florida next season towards Mexico in the western Caribbean it would be April or May (basically a year later).
So here is what we came up with.
If we got a decent weather window within one week of Ellis' return to Grenada, we would go to Bonaire staying at least twenty miles north
of the Venezuela offshore islands and at least a hundred miles north of the Venezuela mainland. That trip would be a little over 400 miles
and take 60 hours. From there we would make our way the remaining 500 miles or so along the Colombian coast as weather permitted.
We decided that we had a reasonable chance to get to Cartagena by the end of May or the first week in June as long as we began the trip
by May the 10th (three or four weeks to work with).
Well. Ellis gets back Saturday night and by mid-morning Sunday we decided to give it a go. The forecast called for 18 to 20 knot winds
with six to seven foot seas for three days (all downwind). After that the wind was supposed to kick up to 25 or 30 for four or five days (ten
to twelve foot seas). If we didn't take the window now, we would be in Trinidad for the season. We left at three in the afternoon.
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
| Mt. Pelee was beautiful - pictures don't do it justice |
| View from our cockpit in Marin. Hopefully we won't drag on that reef! |
| Pretty beach but the anchorage was miserable! |
| Scenes from St. Vincent |
| Clarke's Court Bay Marina |
| The marina |
| Owner Bob Blanc, Ashley (the best bartender in Grenada) and Ellis |
| Crowded burger night at the marina |
