We are really not sure where we are anymore but we know we are in the Caribbean. It has been a week of sleep, sail, drop anchor, sleep, sail, repeat with a side of hurricane thrown in for good measure. We have passed some beautiful destinations that we will hopefully get to visit next season after the Stupid has gone. Our trip from Dominica to Martinique was a rough ride and a squall decided that it wanted to follow us around all day. Squalls usually just pass on by so you get a little or a lot wet but they don’t last long. This particular squall decided it would keep reversing course so no matter which direction we sailed, it followed along faithfully confusing the seas, winds and us. The thing about living on a boat is that no matter how bad the day is, something always comes along that makes the rough day worth it. As we were pulling into our anchorage, the rain stopped and we had the most beautiful double rainbow appear! Thoughts of the rough day turn from “Well, I’m never doing that again” to “Wow! Glad I didn’t miss that!” Bill was not quite as forgiving as I was but eventually, the rainbow worked its’ magic on him and we were tucked in for the night. The weather the next day proved too rough to make it to St. Lucia so we made a quick hop to the bottom of Martinique to wait for the next day. When we pulled into the bay, there were many mooring balls but we did not think they would be strong enough to hold Galt. So, we pulled to the middle of the bay and dropped anchor. We asked the local fishermen if we were okay to anchor and they smiled and pointed a bit speaking French so we took that as a “yes”. However, a few minutes later, a boat full of scuba divers passed by and began fussing at us in French. Even in French, the intent “Hey you tree killing, coral destroying, ungreen douche bag, you can’t anchor in a protected zone” translated quite easily. So, Bill had to break all rules to go ashore and ask where we could possibly anchor. While on shore, not one person was wearing a mask nor did anyone ask Bill if he was legally checked into the country. When he returned, he stated that the bay was a protected, no anchor zone and none of the mooring balls were strong enough to hold Galt. We had to move to the next bay over but that ended up being okay because that bay was far more beautiful than the protected one and we enjoyed an afternoon of snorkeling and a quiet evening surrounded by other douche bag coral killers. The trip to St. Lucia the following day was a lovely one. Once again, we found immense humor in the stupidity of the Stupid rules. We needed to get some fuel so Bill emailed the travel board to inquire about pulling into one of the marinas for fuel. He stated that we would not get off the boat and we would leave immediately after getting fuel. The travel board sent back a list of paperwork that would have to be completed prior to pulling in for fuel. Bill restated that we did not want to check into the country (because if you do, you are stuck for the 10 day quarantine time). He received the same response and the same list of forms. So, as we approached St. Lucia, Bill called the marina directly to request fuel. Within seconds, the fuel person said, “Sure, just pull up to the fuel dock and I’ll be out to help you.” So, we pulled in, got fuel and left….no forms needed. Once again, ask for forgiveness instead of permission. As we entered our anchorage area in St. Lucia, we were not greeted by a rainbow but the “boat boys” were open for business. I compare the “boat boys” of St. Lucia to the shoe shine boys of years past except instead of a shoe shine kit, they have a dinghy. As our boat approached, the boat boys swarmed to get to our boat first. Whoever gets to the boat first, wins the customer. This day, Johnny was the fastest boat boy and pulled up next to us at least four miles off shore offering mooring assistance, shopping, tours, everything but a shoeshine. I nicknamed him Johnny-on-the-spot because from the look of the other dejected boat boys, I got the feeling that Johnny won the boat race more often than not. After Johnny helped us get Galt onto a mooring that was promised to be strong enough to hold, it took me ten minutes to convince Johnny that we could not come ashore for a waterfall tour. Once again, the locals don’t care about the Stupid restrictions, they just want to feed their families. Our anchorage was at the Pitons which were two amazing peaks jutting out of the ocean so we enjoyed a beautiful sunset as we hoped to return next year for Johnny’s waterfall tour. Next stop, St. Vincent. Another day of confused seas and currents but we battled valiantly across the cut. Just as the words, “Well, I’m never doing that again” were about to come out of my mouth, I spotted a dolphin just off the starboard bow. Then, another and another until a pod of 15 to 20 dolphins guided us along the shore with joyful glee. “Wow! Glad we didn’t miss that!”….see how it always happens? Our next greeter was an older gentleman who approached the boat to help us onto a mooring. He announced that his name was “Sparrow” which of course prompted me to ask if he was related to Jack Sparrow. He chuckled and responded, “Well, not quite!”
Our journey was almost to an end! We set sail out of St. Vincent just as a call for a tropical storm popped up. We voted to hole up in Carriacou since we could check into Grenada in Carriacou as well as hang out with our friends who were in Carriacou for hurricane season. We arrived, got a swab shoved up our nose and waited for the hurricane. Many of the boats began moving over to the mangrove area but those of us in quarantine were too unclean to be able to move. Then, I am guessing the powers-that-be figured out killing a bunch of Europeans and Americans was going to be a really bad publicity wave no matter how unclean we were. Once released to move the boats into the mangroves, a ton of boats began to putter about moving into the mangroves for better protection. We voted that we would prefer to stay in the unclean zone so that if needed, we would have the ability to maneuver. Luckily, as the night and day wore on, Elsa moved quickly and shifted northward blessing us with just a little rain. Hopefully, that will be our only hurricane call this season. We will be having a night out tonight with friends (we are no longer unclean) and then we will make our final run of the season tomorrow to Port St. Louis marina in Grenada. Hot showers and swimming pools here we come! I will greatly miss the fireworks, barbeque and homemade ice cream for the 4th so please have a little extra for me and try to stay cool! I am hoping it will be a “Wow! Glad we didn’t miss that” event for you!
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AuthorSally Miller Archives
May 2024
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