It’s
been more than a month now since we dropped anchor in Carlisle Bay
after our epic Atlantic crossing and I think we have both recovered.
Since we are starting to talk about moving onwards and upwards
instead of heading home we must have! I’m still not sure about
tackling the Pacific but never say never….
Sea cave, Barnbados
First
impressions of the Caribbean are all positive. We read all the books
and listened to everyone else's opinion before we came. Some were
positive, some negative and a few very negative. We have found the
area fantastic, almost everything you would ever want for a sailing
environment. The prices could be cheaper, but that is really down to
us. We must learn to eat what the locals eat. All European style food
has to be imported so it is very expensive. The fruit and vegetables
vary so much from place to place and it is difficult to keep them
fresh so you either buy what you need for that day which is no
hardship as the markets are great fun and the sellers get to know you
and there is always some banter. Or you buy produce that is not quite
ripe or ready to eat which we have found can be hit or miss. How long
does it take a pineapple to ripen? Breadfruit is a fantastic
vegetable. We try to buy it ready roasted as it saves time and money.
Leave it in the fridge and slice off what you need for whatever you
are cooking. Sliced, fried and covered in soy sauce makes a good
sundowner snack. Plantain is another versatile vegetable/fruit, not
sure which one it is. Plantain chips have become a firm favourite on
this boat.
Friday Fish fry, Oistins
The
local food is mostly fish and rice with lots of peas and pulses
thrown in. All the sauces are hot hot hot but delicious and herbs and
spices are used extensively. I thought about trying to buy a cook
book with local cuisine but they make the recipes very complicated.
The best way is to ask a stall holder at the market how they would
cook something, there are always a few variations from others but you
will get the gist of it and always remember to go back and compliment
them on their recipe, it’s only human nature to enjoy being
thanked. In Bequia there is a particular lady who makes the best
banana bread (without walnuts) I have tasted in a long time. I went
back to pay a compliment to her and the smile I received lit up my
day.
Rodney Bay anchorage
Each
island we have visited has been the same in some respects but
entirely different in others. After trying to work out why we have
come to the conclusion it is the people. Every island has given has a
friendly welcome and most people will go out of their way to help
with any directions or queries but it is the way they do it.
The
Bajans are always laughing, they can be having a huge argument and
they still smile. They are wonderful laid back happy people. Nothing
is done in a hurry and they like to talk first and do later. “Island
time”. How many times have we heard that in Barbados? As long as
you go with the flow you get things done at a leisurely pace with a
happy smile. Everyone likes to chat and not necessarily about what
you have asked. Barbados is the best introduction a person could have
to this area. We were told by a guide at the Washington House that
the reason for these happy people is when the slave ships made it
over the Atlantic, Barbados was the first landfall and the plantation
owners got the pick of the captives. They chose the placid, docile
ones and that still shows in the Bajans today. They can still make a
rumpus and definitely know how to party but it’s their sunny
dispositions that leave the lasting memory. I loved Barbados, maybe
it was the joy of eventually reaching land and realising that the
world hadn’t ended in those 13 days we were at sea!!! No, it was
the people. They were happy with their lot, full of life and
fantastic fun. If it doesn’t get done today tomorrow will do. There
is a lot of people could learn something from their attitude.
Our
introduction to St Lucia was maybe the reason I started calling it
“Little England” which was rather unfair. Once the tourist bit of
the island is left behind it is a beautiful place with good people.
Rodney Bay is definitely built as an extension of The Empire. It is a
huge anchorage, marina and a beautiful lagoon with mooring buoys so
it caters to all purses. The mooring lagoon is surrounded by new
colonial type houses with manicured lawns and a slip at the bottom of
the garden where the owner can park their boat or boats. It gives the
impression of sahibs and memsahibs dressed in white, sipping cold gin
cocktails on their terraces, meeting for a game of croquet or bridge
in the afternoons. There are more southern English accents here than
in the south of England. Jealous, I here you cry, na, not me. Yes,
some of their yachts were nice to look at and their houses looked
wonderful but I don’t think me blasting out Dark Side of the Moon
at midnight would have fitted in. The surrounding area caters for
this clientele. The upside of this is the supermarkets have fresh
meat and English branded food, Waitrose to name one. The down side
was it was very expensive to buy anything. The locals were friendly
but I got the impression there is a lot of resentment about what they
have and what the incomers have so sometimes help was given
grudgingly, although an American who tried to help us off the
fuel/water dock was lucky to escape with his life when he let go a
line which he was specifically told to leave alone. Poor man. It does
take a lot to rile the Captain but when he gets his dander up look
out!! I think instructions were lost in translation.
Pitons, St Lucia
As
I said before once outside the main tourist drag St Lucia changed
into a wonderful, wild island. Rain forests, waterfalls, The Pitons
and many many walking tracks. Our excursion down to the south of the
island was eye opening. It changed my perception of a tropical
island, the place is so lush and green and very very picturesque. We
stopped for a meal in Vieux Fort, right down on the south coast.
Wandering along the back streets, which was very adventurous
according to some of our acquaintances, we saw a restaurant
advertising rotis. The only way to describe a roti is a Cornish pasty
with filo pastry and the filling is somewhat hotter and spicier,
yummy. We hadn’t tried them yet so in we went. Random choices
sometimes come up trumps and this one was a hidden gem. We ended up
with a three course lunch for the price of a roti. The owner did the
cooking and the rest of the family, that wasn’t living in Florida,
helped. Lovely people who would do anything for you. We got their
life story then caused a family disagreement by asking what was the
“must see” on St Lucia. Even the locals can’t agree what is
the islands best natural asset.
Even
when the captain tried to report his lost phone to the police we were
met with a laughing policeman. He thought it was hilarious that we
assumed anyone who found an iPhone, no matter how old and knackered
it was, would hand it into the police station. He was correct.
Looking around us we saw happy people living from hand to mouth with
an entrepreneurially spirit which dictates seize the chance and if
that means finders keepers so be it. Every article and everyone warns
about boat boys and their aggressive, sometimes threatening,
behaviour. Yes, the boat boys are there and they do try to sell you
things or help you moor or anchor but a firm “no thank you”
worked for us. We were polite and had many a conversation with them
but they always took our answer on board and left us politely. These
lads and lasses are trying to make a living. We found that the food
we did buy was inferior and far more expensive than in a market but
it saves you the sometimes inconvenient journey to said market and it
also shows willing to contribute some EC$s to their economy and some
of the conversations we have had with them have been down right
hilarious. Yes, St Lucia is a wonderful, picturesque place. Most of
the people are good but I could sense a resentment in some of them.
They would take the money quite happily but I personally think they
didn’t like being lorded over by “rich”, as they seemed to
perceive boaties, Europeans. Maybe a lesson to be learnt, always
remember you are a guest and should be thankful for the hospitality
offered by your hosts.
Baby coconut tree, St Vincent.
Now
we move onto St Vincent and The Grenadines. We thought long and hard
about going to St Vincent. We listened carefully to the advice given,
weighed the pros and cons then held our noses and jumped. The
deciding factor was meeting up with Dana de Mer again or Dana
International as we like to call her. We first saw them while we were
racing from Majorca to Ibiza. They are a catamaran so go faster down
wind than us until we put up the cruising chute, that shut them up.
They have never let us forget how we “cheated”.We first met in La
Linea and have met up now and again throughout the past year. It’s
amazing how many boats you keep meeting up with again and again on
your travels. The world is indeed a small place. It was time for a
social evening or two. Going with everyone’s advice we headed for
Blue Lagoon in the south of St Vincent but we ended up moored on a
buoy in Young Island, a wonderful scenic place. If you ever want to
stay on a tropical desert island but can’t be bothered with the
inconvenience try Young Island resort. It will cost an arm and a leg
though but desert islands don’t come cheap these days. The social
interaction was very agreeable and we got news of one or two others
that were mutual friends. The Captain has a lunch date with a very
beautiful young Canadian, whom we met with Dana de Mar in The
Canaries, on his next trip to ARI. As I said the world is a very
small place.
Young Island resort, St Vincent
St
Vincent has a reputation of a lot of crime against boaties so
everything has to be locked away, hatches locked and our solar
powered security lights were used in earnest. The dingy has to be
locked by substantial chain and padlock to the dock when going
ashore and nothing left in it. We followed all the advice and had no
losses. However the night after we left Young Island a yacht was
boarded when the crew was ashore for a meal and electronic equipment
was stolen so maybe someone was looking after us this time. St
Vincent gave me the impression of a working island with only a few
concessions for tourists. In fact, a passenger off one of the many
cruise liners which dock in Kingstown told me it was “the pits”.
I wouldn’t go that far. The Captain and I have decided we want T
shirts made up that read “No, we didn’t come off that almighty
cruise ship, so give us that for the local price please” That about
sums up Kingstown. Dirty, noisy full of bustling people trying to
make a living. Some are better at it than others. If you want to see
the real Caribbean, go there. I am glad we went to St Vincent but I
won’t hurry back.
Bar, Mayrou
Now
we come to The Grenadines. I do not know where to start describing
these beautiful gems so I won’t. Come and see it for yourself. Tiny
islands with hills and valleys and hidden deserted beaches. Some are
pristine, Mustique and Palm Island others are more natural, Bequia
and Mareau and then to crown it all Tobago Cays. I am sitting in the
middle of The Cays right this moment writing. It is very windy and
rain clouds are blown in every few hours but even then I still have
to go up on deck to cruisers alike. Food is more expensive than on the mainland, that’s what they call St Vincent, but to have this back drop as you are eating lunch makes it well worth it. The cost to anchor here is EC$10 per person per day, that’s about £3. They have made this marvel at the scenery. Yes, it’s still all
there. It is probably the most beautiful place I have ever
visited…….so far. The people have learnt that the tourist dollar
makes a difference to their quality of life so it’s service with a
smile. They accept us, maybe don’t like the intrusion on their
paradise but see the value of charter boats and area into a National Park and
there are many rules and regulations which as far as I can see no one
takes any notice of. Swimming is a dangerous sport out here. The
speed limit is 6 knots. I have never seen a kite or wind surfer do 6
knots and they think nothing of coming through the anchorage at far
greater speeds. Good game, good game. But everyone just accepts each
other and their sports. The kite surfers have great fun avoiding the
sailing boats and the wind surfers struggle to avoid both the yachts
and the kite surfers and we all live happily together exchanging
elaborate and exaggerated stories with the sundowners each evening.
Admiralty Bay, Bequia
We
have reached paradise and may never move from here again…….
