Thursday, March 20, 2014

Bequia to Rodney Bay

Bequia is a great place - really the jewel of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.  Union Island is nice, especially Chatham Bay.  The Tobago Cays and nearby Mayreau are very pretty.  Saint Vincent itself has some charm but also some scary bits so we avoid it.  But we love Bequia.  And so does the rest of the yachting community.

We had limited time to share this lovely place with Mike and Charlotte so we just wandered around the town.  Saw the Rasta’s fruit and veggie market, bought some scotch and rum for Mike and Glen, got some great veggies and fruit, drinks at the Whale Boner… really saw the whole place.  We learned of a “jam session” at the Whale Boner so made arrangements to be there for drinks and conch fritters.  Ms Ruthie is a tremendous host and worked with Glen to make martinis for Mike and Glen.  Can you imagine not knowing how to make a martini?


Jammin'
As usual, the more Glen drank, the more his musical abilities improved and… according to Glen… he was the star of the night… receiving standing ovations again and again.  Pam has a different version which is not worth reporting.


Anchor handlin'

We purposely added a big leg to our trip with Mike and Charlotte, thinking that they wanted to see a Blue Pearl big journey.  Not like the overnighters to get down here from Florida but 61 nautical miles is significant.  We got up at 0400 and by 0430 we were “hauling the freight” to St. Lucia with the staysail and a double reefed main.  We set Marigot as our destination to cut off a couple of miles to Rodney Bay but also because it is a cool place to see. 

Glen attempted to set an example and had a nap around 8 or 9.  The group reports that humpbacks spouts were spotted and other miracles occurred while he slept.  The whale thing might be true.

We had a great sail to the north end of St. Vincent and then got the big seas that were predicted (NOT!!!) that resulted in lots of water over the side and an opportunity for an exhilarating ride.  At one stage we were too close to the wind and turned on Yan Diesel for an assist.  When the wind became more favourable it was hard to turn Yan off because we were doing 8 knots.  The faster you can  get through nasty conditions the better… so we made great time up to Marigot.

Marigot is very pretty with lots of activity.  Santa (Noel) comes around - along with 4 or 5 other irritating boat boys - but he is so charismatic that it is impossible to send him away without some purchase.  His prices are exorbitant but you can work with him… and if you add in the price of entertainment it turns out to be a pretty good deal.

Marigot

Rope management

Arrrrrrrhhhhhgggg, haul in that sheet.

Navigation conference

Limin'

Our last sail for this trip with the Inmans was only 8 miles but it was lots of fun and we were getting close to 8 knots under sail before we headed in to Rodney Bay.

More on Rodney Bay in a day or two!

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