Escape from Rodney Bay
Our planned escape at the weekend was thwarted once again!
We discovered that we were still getting a little water in the rudder locker.
Of course, we immediately thought it must be the rudder again, but before
making a fuss at the boatyard Richard decided to find the source of the leak.
It would also be difficult for them to find. So, we stuck bits of paper towel
in strategic positions and went shopping in the Rodney Bay Mall prior to
collecting the new battery.
On the way back we bumped into (not literally!) Stonefire
who we had last seen in Puerto Calero . Did not have long to chat as we had to
collect the battery and they were leaving for Martinique next day, but it was
good to have a quick catch up.
Back on the boat the locker and all the paper was dry – mystifying! Next day more paper towel in more places, and
it was off to the marina for a bit of wifi and a swim in the pool. Back on the
boat all the paper was dry but again a bit of water in the locker. Definitely
not the rudder, so that was good but still mystifying.
Eventually we discovered that some of the bolts holding ‘Arry (the Hydrovane) had come loose. They
are just above the waterline so it was only when a little wave broke or some
wash hit the back of the boat that the water trickled in. Mystery solved, and a
few tweaks with spanner and ratchet and we are once again watertight.
While out at anchor we have Brown Boobies and Royal Terns
flying round and diving for prey with Magnificent Frigate Birds circling,
hoping to steal their catch. We also saw an Osprey swoop to catch a fish.
Another nice thing about Rodney Bay is that each morning at
8:30 on Ch68 there is a cruisers radio net. New arrivals and departures call
in, taxi shares to the airport arranged and “Treasures of the Bilge” are
bartered. Island happenings are also announced, Ladies lunch every Wednesday at
Bay Gardens and any safety and security issues discussed.
We acquired a nice 2 year old 5Hp Tohatsu outboard engine
and disposed of our little 3.5 Hp via the net. We are now whizzing around the
bay at a great pace and have made some new friends as well.
For those of you who think cruising in the Caribbean is all
fun, think again. While waiting for some water to leak in and wet our tissues,
Richard was cleaning rust marks off the deck with oxalic acid. I spent a whole
day cleaning all the upholstery which was very marked after the crossing,
partly from all the red dust. Not much fun in the heat.
Finally on Wednesday 6th March we left for
Marigot Bay, one of the prettiest anchorages in the Caribbean, apparently. We
set off at 9:30 with a F3 Easterly under main and genoa for the 10mile journey. A
nice relaxing sail with lots of flying fish. By noon we were anchored next to
Sea Gypsy, one of the Porto Santo crowd.
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| Anchoring in Marigot bay |
The water is blue and clear so a snorkel seemed a good idea.
Just under our stern was a little coral bombie with fan worms and butterfly
fish, and large schools of other juveniles were swimming round us. We checked
that our anchor was dug in and then went over and found Sea Gypsy’s as well.
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| Rum shack in Marigot bay |
The four of us went ashore and had sundowners at a rum shack
in amongst the palm trees on the peninsular watching all the boats in the
anchorage. Then we went upmarket - to the Rainforest Hideaway, where they had
advertised jazz. It was a lone piano player, not very jazzy, and the drinks tasted
the same but were twice the price! A great evening.
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| View from the rum shack |
Next day we went ashore. It is a very pretty bay and has
been used in several films, but it is now very built up with a marina, a small
mall and hotels so a little bit spioled. Across from the marina we had a lovely lunch in a wooden cafe
built over the water. On this side of the bay the mangroves are protected so we
had a little walk through them. There is a boardwalk at first with small yellow
crabs disappearing under the boards as you walk along.
The mangroves are very atmospheric with black mud, fungus, black
crabs disappearing into their holes and water bubbling up out of them. We were
lucky to see a Yellow Crowned Night Heron as it flew and landed on a root. It
stepped down and simply vanished, its colouring blending in perfectly.
On Thursday we upped anchor at 9:00 and set off in a nice F3
Easterly for the 10 miles to Soufriere. After about an hour the wind dropped
and went SSW, so we motored the rest of the way, the magnificent Pitons coming
closer and closer. There is no anchoring in Soufriere as it is a marine reserve
so the mooring is all on buoys. Before we were anywhere near them Phillip came
roaring up in his pirogue to help us tie up: “I will only charge you 20EC$.”!
He found us one near town and opposite a few small rocks that are a Laughing
Gull colony, so we had their happy calls as a pleasant background throughout
our stay. By 11:30 we were tied up and Phillip gave us some information about
town and knew who to see about diving.
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| Arriving in Soufriere |
The buoys are run by the Soufriere Marine Management
Association and we paid 40EC for 2 nights or 80EC for a week. You can get water
from the town dock, but fuel only in cans from the fuel station which is not
far from the dingy dock. Fortunately we did not need either.
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| Soufriere from our anchorage |
Going ashore is quite wearing. There is a good but high
dingy dock, but on it are various males from about 10 years up wanting to :
Look after
you dingy
Find you a
taxi
Take you on
a hike up the Pitons
Take you on
a hike to the rainforest
Take you on
a hike anywhere
Sell beads
and coconut shell bird feeders, etc, etc.
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| Soufriere waterfront |
We found
Tourist Information and had a wander round town. There are supposed to be
remnants of French Colonial architecture, but it felt more like wandering
around a movie set for a dusty Wild West movie. Wooden buildings with balconies
hanging over the rough pavements filled with women selling fruit and veg and
foot wide and deep gutters on either side of the road made crossing a hazard.
There were little bridges over them here and there. It could have been quaint
and interesting, but just felt sad and uncared for.
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| Soufriere street |
We looked in
the two supermarkets which were quite well stocked and bought a cold drink as there were no really appealing
bars or cafes, arranged a dive for Sunday and went back to the boat. The water
was really clear and it looked interesting snorkelling round the boat. However,
on the way we had passed through patches of brownish sludge, which we though
looked like some big ship had emptied its holding tanks. The warden from the
SMMA said it was the “fish season” and normal for this time of year. We think
he meant spawning, but we had seen some larger more solid looking bits out at
sea, so were a bit doubtful. This layer of sludge kept coming and going on the tide,
so we really did not feel like swimming in it. It was also leaving tide marks
on the side of Galene. I also did not use the sea water tap, in case. So this
spoilt the area for us not being able to swim.
Saturday we
again ran the gauntlet of the “Boat Boys” on the dingy dock and had a lovely
walk up to the Diamond Mineral Baths and Botanical Gardens. It took about ½
hour uphill, but we saw a slightly better part of town and then walked past a
Mahogany plantation, dodging the big seed pods as they crashed down.
The gardens
are beautiful and a real mix of plantings. Nutmeg, Avocado, Mango , Cocoa,
Banana and other fruit trees mixed with forest trees and an understory of
various ginger lilies and rainforest flowers , a beautiful Jade Vine and
hummingbirds flying around. The path leads to the mineral baths first built in
1784 for the French troops. Empress Josephine is said to have used them as her
family owned the estate.
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Pink Torch Ginger |
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| Purple throated humming bird |
Now, there
are 3 which are just about 3m square
white tiled pools where you can enjoy the warm water. We walked up to the
Diamond Falls first, used in the Superman II movie. Not very big, but pretty,
with the wall behind different colours from all the minerals leeching out of
the water. Then we ordered chicken rotis at the cafe and had our mineral soak.
There are freshwater showers for afterwards and then we went to share out rotis
with the bullfinches which hop all around the tables.
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| Diamond Falls |
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| Butterfly fish in a sponge |
Sunday, our
dive was arranged for 9:30. We were to be collected from the boat! What a
luxury! So, about 9:50 our dive guide arrives – this is going to be our first
dive from a pirogue! We had chosen to dive the Pinnacles, across the bay from
our mooring. The water was a bit cloudy but it was a good dive – the Pinnacles
reach almost from the bottom (20m) to the surface and are covered with huge
sponges, sea fans, wire coral and other corals. Various reef fish including
some big blue parrotfish and needlefish surrounded us and out in the blue
yellowtail snapper mingled with many other fish. An interesting one was a
Barred Hamlet – Hamlets are predators which mimic non-predatory fish to get
close to their prey of shrimps and crabs in daylight.
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| Pinnacles scenery |
I was a bit
worried about getting back into the pirogue as it is a hard boat, but the
curved hull is really quite close to the water and it was very easy.
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| Fishing Pirogue |
The
fishermen all use them here and they dive a lot for conch and lobster, so they
obviously designed them for that as well. We were duly taken back to Galene, no
lugging around of heavy dive gear!
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| Sharptail Eel - Uncommon in the Caribbean |
The
afternoon was spent watching our Laughing Gulls, the pigs in their sties on the
beach, the goats under the banana trees, the locals building an extension on
stilts and another family on the beach with Dad taking the little ones for
rides in a kayak. He set off with an older son holding a 2 year old in the
front and he had a just walking baby on his lap. When he came back, he put the
now sleeping baby over his shoulder, beached the kayak using 2 hands on the
paddle and stepped off!
We decided
we could not face all the boat boys again for another excursion ashore and on
Monday we headed back to Rodney Bay, planning to water and provision and try to
reach Dominica by 20th March to watch the Windies v Zimbabwe Test.
Friday 15th
March
Big swells
from the north for the last few days combined with NNE winds mean we are once
again still at anchor in Rodney Bay. It is that swelly that we have got out the
non slip mats and are using our “Muggy” for drinks again!
Waimangu,
another of the Porto Santo crowd, have arrived as well, so more catching up to
do.
Behind us we
have Impressionist, a Westerly Conway, and they also used to be Channel Sailing
Club members. The cruiser net has arranged a BBQ at the Ocean Club on Saturday,
so as the weather is not due to really improve until Sunday, we are staying
here. We will watch the Saturdays 6 Nations game do the BBQ and leave on Sunday
for Martinique, probably giving up on the cricket.
