The Grenadines

Mustique Harbour

View from "The View" - a local Mustique rewtaurant

Enjoying the beach! - Endevour Beach - Mustique

The Grenadines

 March 27, 2017

We are spending a few weeks exploring around the Grenadian islands which belong to St. Vincent. After leaving Marigot Bay in St. Lucia, we stopped one night off Soufriere in the south. From there we spent a long day, from 5:45am, to arrive in Bequia about 5pm. As the weather was quite settled we sailed along the east coast of St. Vincent. The seas are higher but the wind more consistent. The new autopilot was a treat. As the wind decreased, we decided to motor to arrive in daylight. Soon after, the engine stalled. Rob replaced the fuel filter and bled the system, then it worked fine for us. This is why you don't often travel on the lee shore!

We enjoyed three days in Bequia. You need to stop there to check in if you don't stop in St Vincent. But it also is a pleasant place to spend time, with lots of services for yachts, and not crowded. We managed to get chaps (sunbrella cover) made for the dinghy pontoons and motor. We also managed to arrange a swap of our sewing machine for that work. That's what came of taking the machine in for repairs. All future sewing work will have to be contracted out. (Too bad?)

Sat. morning we took a short sail across to Mustique, where we are now. I'm beginning to think that all passages will have some drama or trauma. The wind was almost on the nose, so eventually needed to motor into it. The engine was again not too happy, but we kept it going. But the autopilot stopped working. After taking everything out the next day, it seems like the motor has burned out. Rob has installed a spare and we will check that out tomorrow.

On a happier note, we are enjoying the stop off Mustique. This is one of the islands in the world for the "rich and famous". It is privately owned by the Mustique Company. There are about 70 private homes and 2 small hotels, all in the "money is no object" category. One of the estates rents for US$150,000 a week! We have been on the trails and at 2 of the beaches, but if someone famous were about, I'm sure I wouldn't recognize them. It costs $100 Cdn to be on a mooring ball for one to three nights. If there are no available balls, the price is the same for anchoring. We are obviously here for 3 days, although I'm surprised at how many charter boats come only for the day.

Today is my 69th birthday. For years now, we have been on passage or in an isolated spot for my birthday. Tonight we are going to have a romantic dinner overlooking the anchorage in a beautiful (and I'm sure $$$) restaurant. I'm also enjoying getting so many birthday greetings on the cell phone. It is great to be back in the land of internet access. Thanks everyone!

Carol

St. Lucia - Work Weeks

Saying goodbye to the crew or Tahawus

View of Rodney Bay and Pigeon Island

Local youth enjoying the steel band

Vincent installing our newautopilot

St. Lucia

Work Weeks

March 9, 2017

It seems hard to believe that we have been in St Lucia almost two weeks now.  Most of that time has been spent doing boat projects, especially the ones that get put aside when you are travelling as much as we did. The layers of ground in salt have been removed and new polish put on the hull. We have stripped the teak in the companionway and doors and are now building up to 8 layers of varnish. Each storage area has been emptied and cleaned and organized. It is amazing the things you find! Many minor items have been repaired or replaced. We had planned to do most of our work here, as the marina is easy to get into, and there are many services and a chandlery on site. Even a swimming pool!

The remaining work on the engine has been done. We have purchased our new dinghy and set it up for raising on the davits. We also purchased lots of thick chain to get everything locked up well. After a service call on the autopilot, we decided to purchase a new one. That is why we stayed longer to wait for delivery. It is being professionally installed right now, but not without some challenges. Hope it all works when done.

Right before leaving Martinique, a bad weather system came through that brought the winds into the west for a day. This is rare and dangerous as most anchorages are open to the sea in that direction. Even the morning's weather forecasts didn't see that frontal system coming that far south. A few boats dragged up onto the beach in St Lucia and Martinique, and a number of dinghies were damaged. It was stormy about 5 hours with the choppy seas that come with high winds. No one was getting much sleep. The winds are now back into the east but have been higher than normal. So we are enjoying being in the marina for some of that.

We can usually count on meeting someone we know in the sailing community here. That has been the case, again, so have enjoyed a few "happy hours". We had another chance to visit with Tahawas as they passed this way.  For years there has been a ladies' lunch at one of the local resorts. And there is a cruisers' net in the mornings. Both are good ways of finding out who is around. There are a surprising number of Canadians at the moment.

We have taken a few hiking and shopping breaks, as well as trying some of the local restaurants. But it is not a sightseeing stop this time. When we leave here we would like to visit the anchorages at Marigot and between the Pitons.