We ended up spending the weekend in St Barts, moving around to a more sheltered bay on Saturday as all the comings and goings of crews out to the super-yachts in Gustavia churned up the water to a permanent choppy state and we were rocking and rolling all over the place .... or was that the effect of the rum?! Either way, sleeping was not easy.
And then it was time for the "biggie" ... the overnight passage from St Martin to the BVI .... around 90 miles for which we needed to allow 18 hours or so. We'd been debating whether or not to go for a few days - you need to pick your weather window to have winds from the right direction to make it tenable, particularly for coming back. And I was also feeling a bit apprehensive about the trip - it would have been my first passage where we would be out of radio contact for an extended time and unlike a lot of long-term cruisers we don't have a satellite phone or radio.
As things had worked out, our Danish friends were also planning on making the trip and had suggested we all set out together and so that was the plan: Rendevous in Marigot Bay, St Martin on Monday for a midnight departure so we could arrive at the other end in the daylight. We'd planned to maintain hourly contact throughout the night and then would probably have pulled away from them as Pandora, being 10 feet longer than their boat, would make better speed. But we'd promised to have dinner waiting for them when they arrived!
So that was the plan .... until we arrived in St Martin and I got cold feet. Not about the trip to the BVI but about the return passage. So it's official ... I'm part-chicken and it already feels like a missed opportunity to some extent, but it's too late now and regrets aren't allowed!
On a more positive note it is nice to have built up some good friendships on the trip and we hope a number of them will extend beyond the Caribbean. Adventures ashore and dinners and drinks with like minded people have really added to our time out here and it's been incredible how many times we've crossed paths with people we know as we sail around. We've already said goodbyes to most of them by now, friends based in Grenada and Bequia, too far south for us to be returning that way, and to some now heading back south to Curacao for the hurricane season. And because of the aborted BVI trip we've also said goodbye to our Danish friends who will cross to the BVI and continue north to Florida and beyond. So it's all been very transitory, but great fun while it lasted!
29 Mar 2011
[Captains Blog] Back in Gustavia, St Barts
Here's a question for you - how far would you travel to a fuel station to fill up with cheap fuel???? Two Miles? Five? I bet the answer is probably not more than five and definitely not more than ten.
Well yesterday I think we created some sort of record. We travelled 45 nautical miles (over 51 statutory miles) to do just that! We left St Barts early in the morning and sailed around to St Martin (as opposed to Sint Maarten) into Marigot Bay where there is a circular marina (tres chic n'est-ce pas?) where we put loads of fuel into the hungry tanks for a very reasonable price. I just love these duty free islands, they make me and my wallet very happy. Having filled up the tanks we quickly caught up with our Danish friends to bid them bon voyage and headed out around the island in a big circle to return down the (very) windward coast to St Barts.
Circumnavigation complete, we happily wouldn't bother going to Sint Maarten ever, but might consider calling into St Martin to refuel if we were passing. As for Anguilla, it looked like an overdeveloped low-lying piece of uninteresting land not worth the visit we were debating as we neared its coastline. All right, it might be famous for its beaches, but we have seen enough of those in the past 5 months.
So, with Anguilla being the most northerly island in the Leeward Islands, we have gone as far north as we intend to, and have effectively done the length of the Windward and Leeward Island chain. Mission Accomplished with over 1500 nautical miles behind us. Now we will clock up some more miles by starting to meander our way back to revisit some of the more interesting spots, starting with Les Saintes.
Well yesterday I think we created some sort of record. We travelled 45 nautical miles (over 51 statutory miles) to do just that! We left St Barts early in the morning and sailed around to St Martin (as opposed to Sint Maarten) into Marigot Bay where there is a circular marina (tres chic n'est-ce pas?) where we put loads of fuel into the hungry tanks for a very reasonable price. I just love these duty free islands, they make me and my wallet very happy. Having filled up the tanks we quickly caught up with our Danish friends to bid them bon voyage and headed out around the island in a big circle to return down the (very) windward coast to St Barts.
Circumnavigation complete, we happily wouldn't bother going to Sint Maarten ever, but might consider calling into St Martin to refuel if we were passing. As for Anguilla, it looked like an overdeveloped low-lying piece of uninteresting land not worth the visit we were debating as we neared its coastline. All right, it might be famous for its beaches, but we have seen enough of those in the past 5 months.
So, with Anguilla being the most northerly island in the Leeward Islands, we have gone as far north as we intend to, and have effectively done the length of the Windward and Leeward Island chain. Mission Accomplished with over 1500 nautical miles behind us. Now we will clock up some more miles by starting to meander our way back to revisit some of the more interesting spots, starting with Les Saintes.
24 Mar 2011
[Cruise News] Gustavia, Saint-Barthelemy (St Barts)
Wow, what a place. We could very easily be in an exclusive port in the south of France - so different from anywhere else we've been out here, including the other French-owned islands.
From reading the sailing guides on-board Pandora, I knew we were in for something different and I was looking forward to a bit of high-end retail therapy, a change from the usual "souvenirs" sold on all the other islands we've visited. But having arrived, that thought has totally flown out of the window when I saw the calibre of the boutiques lining the waterfront .... Hermes, Bvlgari, Chopard, Cavalli, Gucci etc etc .... you get my drift. .... and I soon realised that they weren't aiming at the likes of me, more the Roman Abromavich, Philip Green's of the world who regulalry holiday here on their own mega-yachts. I do wonder where the local people shop - maybe on the other side of the island - so we'll have to take a taxi over (nothing as common as buses here!) and see.
Before we sailed up to St Barts we spent a pleasant few days in Nevis, a quiet but beautiful island sitting just across the straits from the larger St Kitts, together which form one country. We decided to visit St Kitts using the local ferry service rather than sail Pandora over there and so duly presented ourselves at the ferry terminal on Tuesday morning with the intention of spending a full day on Nevis' neighbour .... a wander around the capital (Basse-Terre), a spot of lunch and maybe a trip out to see one or two of the sights. It's funny however when you arrive at a new island how quickly you get a "feel" about the place and I'm sad to say our "feel" of St Kitts was not a good one. So after a cursory hour or so in the capital we headed back to the ferry port and returned to Nevis and an afternoon lazing aboard Pandora. Not what we'd planned but I guess not everywhere is going to be a hit.
There aren't that more islands left for us to visit in the Leeward chain and so we've decided to sail across to the Virgin Islands after all. Whilst we've sailed in the British VI before, we did enjoy it and a return trip is quite attractive to us, and we've not been to the USVI in the past so may as well give them a whirl and get to use our US visas to gain entry. So after a couple of days watching the activities of the regatta here in St Barts we'll be heading to Anguilla for an overnight stay and then heading NW across the Sombrero and Anegada Passages to Virgin Gorda and on to Tortola.
From reading the sailing guides on-board Pandora, I knew we were in for something different and I was looking forward to a bit of high-end retail therapy, a change from the usual "souvenirs" sold on all the other islands we've visited. But having arrived, that thought has totally flown out of the window when I saw the calibre of the boutiques lining the waterfront .... Hermes, Bvlgari, Chopard, Cavalli, Gucci etc etc .... you get my drift. .... and I soon realised that they weren't aiming at the likes of me, more the Roman Abromavich, Philip Green's of the world who regulalry holiday here on their own mega-yachts. I do wonder where the local people shop - maybe on the other side of the island - so we'll have to take a taxi over (nothing as common as buses here!) and see.
Before we sailed up to St Barts we spent a pleasant few days in Nevis, a quiet but beautiful island sitting just across the straits from the larger St Kitts, together which form one country. We decided to visit St Kitts using the local ferry service rather than sail Pandora over there and so duly presented ourselves at the ferry terminal on Tuesday morning with the intention of spending a full day on Nevis' neighbour .... a wander around the capital (Basse-Terre), a spot of lunch and maybe a trip out to see one or two of the sights. It's funny however when you arrive at a new island how quickly you get a "feel" about the place and I'm sad to say our "feel" of St Kitts was not a good one. So after a cursory hour or so in the capital we headed back to the ferry port and returned to Nevis and an afternoon lazing aboard Pandora. Not what we'd planned but I guess not everywhere is going to be a hit.
There aren't that more islands left for us to visit in the Leeward chain and so we've decided to sail across to the Virgin Islands after all. Whilst we've sailed in the British VI before, we did enjoy it and a return trip is quite attractive to us, and we've not been to the USVI in the past so may as well give them a whirl and get to use our US visas to gain entry. So after a couple of days watching the activities of the regatta here in St Barts we'll be heading to Anguilla for an overnight stay and then heading NW across the Sombrero and Anegada Passages to Virgin Gorda and on to Tortola.
[Captains Blog] Gustavia, St Barts
More by luck than judgement, we have arrived in Gustavia, St Barts on the day before the Bucket Regatta starts. This regatta involves many of the megayachts I referred to in an earlier blog, which will be racing around the island trying to beat the competition. Last night we were strolling along the quayside on our way to enjoying an expensive but delicious meal admiring the sheer size, elegance and beauty of some of these boats. It is simply a different world from ours. The attention to detail in maintaining these beauties is second to none and everything about them simply oozes class. It will be wonderful to see them under full sail jostling for position at the start line in very close proximity as they vie for the prime spot and steal a march on their opponents, or even steal their opponents' wind. I wonder how many will actually come through unscathed from it all at the end of the day.
The good thing about the regatta is that there are open bars and dock parties every night for us to go along and enjoy and meet some of the players. Always an interesting thing to do. We took some of our newly made Danish friends Hanne and Jens to the last one on Antigua, and by sheer coincidence they are due to arrive here in Gustavia today, so we may end up doing the same thing again (and again!). It's a tough life, but someone's got to do it.
The next three days will see the likes of the Maltese Falcon, Genevieve and other boats we have been rubbing shoulders with in anchorages or marinas really strutting their stuff. We are anchored next to several of the contestants out in the bay here, and at dinner last night we were on adjacent tables with many of the crew members, all of which seemed to know each other very well. I suppose it is a very closed circle of players comprising sailors who have been born to crew for the mega-rich.
Life in Chagford may never be the same again .... Ho hum.
The good thing about the regatta is that there are open bars and dock parties every night for us to go along and enjoy and meet some of the players. Always an interesting thing to do. We took some of our newly made Danish friends Hanne and Jens to the last one on Antigua, and by sheer coincidence they are due to arrive here in Gustavia today, so we may end up doing the same thing again (and again!). It's a tough life, but someone's got to do it.
The next three days will see the likes of the Maltese Falcon, Genevieve and other boats we have been rubbing shoulders with in anchorages or marinas really strutting their stuff. We are anchored next to several of the contestants out in the bay here, and at dinner last night we were on adjacent tables with many of the crew members, all of which seemed to know each other very well. I suppose it is a very closed circle of players comprising sailors who have been born to crew for the mega-rich.
Life in Chagford may never be the same again .... Ho hum.
21 Mar 2011
[Cruise News] Charlestown, Nevis
We've covered some miles in the last few days sailing from Antigua to Montserrat and then on to Nevis. The sail to Montserrat was pleasant but hampered by the "very light airs" (the technical term for next to no wind!) and so we ended up motor-sailing the last couple of hours. It seems rather ironic that after all the high winds we have had to contend with so far that we were then in a position of not enough. Fear not, just over 24 hours later we're back into 25mph winds as we sit moored up to a buoy in Nevis.
Before we left Antigua we went along to a dockside party hosted by the crew of one of the super-yachts in honour of St Patrick's Day (the captain is of Irish descent). The beer and rum punch were flowing, the chefs had cooked up a storm and music was blaring out as we chatted the night away with friends, old and new. It's a very international and cosmopolitan community, the yachting one, where we find ourselves just as likely to be talking to Scandanvians, North Americans or fellow Western Europeans. The beauty of it all is that everyone has something in common and so are not at a loss for conversation.
We arrived in Montserrat and anchored in the only real bay that is outside the exclusion zone: Since the massive volcanic eruption in 1997, over two-thirds of the island is a no-go area and the population has more than halved. The following morning we hired a taxi driver to take us to see something of the island, including views of the devastation of the former capital, Plymouth, now with only roof-tops of the taller bulidings still visible. The tour included a private entry into the volcano observation centre where they monitor the seismic distrubance caused by Soufriere as it continuously grows by spewing 8 tons of ash per second out of the top of the vent. That equates to 691,200 tons per day every day (or so Paul tells me!), building up a magma dome which will collapse when it outgrows itself, and has done several times since 1997. It was a fascinating yet very sobering experience and made me wonder how the remaining inhabitants cope with knowing that any time the volcano could blow again and wipe out yet more of this beautiful and dramatic island.
PS: gave Paul a haircut using the longest cut setting on his beard trimmers yesterday .... as for the outcome, he says he's going to wear a hat for the next 4 days, the difference between a good haircut and a bad one apparently!
Before we left Antigua we went along to a dockside party hosted by the crew of one of the super-yachts in honour of St Patrick's Day (the captain is of Irish descent). The beer and rum punch were flowing, the chefs had cooked up a storm and music was blaring out as we chatted the night away with friends, old and new. It's a very international and cosmopolitan community, the yachting one, where we find ourselves just as likely to be talking to Scandanvians, North Americans or fellow Western Europeans. The beauty of it all is that everyone has something in common and so are not at a loss for conversation.
We arrived in Montserrat and anchored in the only real bay that is outside the exclusion zone: Since the massive volcanic eruption in 1997, over two-thirds of the island is a no-go area and the population has more than halved. The following morning we hired a taxi driver to take us to see something of the island, including views of the devastation of the former capital, Plymouth, now with only roof-tops of the taller bulidings still visible. The tour included a private entry into the volcano observation centre where they monitor the seismic distrubance caused by Soufriere as it continuously grows by spewing 8 tons of ash per second out of the top of the vent. That equates to 691,200 tons per day every day (or so Paul tells me!), building up a magma dome which will collapse when it outgrows itself, and has done several times since 1997. It was a fascinating yet very sobering experience and made me wonder how the remaining inhabitants cope with knowing that any time the volcano could blow again and wipe out yet more of this beautiful and dramatic island.
PS: gave Paul a haircut using the longest cut setting on his beard trimmers yesterday .... as for the outcome, he says he's going to wear a hat for the next 4 days, the difference between a good haircut and a bad one apparently!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)