On the hard

Since our last post, we tasted some of the best roti in St. Lucia at Lydia’s Catering and learned about a Caribbean cure all called Pink Rub that’s good for “colds, flu, arthritis, stroke, asthma, bronchitis, joint & muscle pain, cuts and burns”. The only thing not listed is COVID 19!

On May 29th we hauled Billy Ruff’n at the Rodney Bay Marina boatyard and moved into an AirBnB to finish the process of getting her ready for hurricane season. We’ve tied her down, cleaned her out and hired some folks to look after her while we’re gone.

The AirBnB provided some spectacular views of the bay while we enjoyed sharing our new abode with our friends from s/v Deva and some last meals at our favorite restaurants in the marina (Salt, Le Mesa and others).

Our American Airlines flight out of St. Lucia was cancelled but we were able to arrange a charter flight to San Juan, PR on 6/5 with Debbie & Mike (s/v Deva) and another sailing friend, Greg (from s/v Mile High Dream). It was expensive but a beautiful day to fly with an entertaining pilot, who was texting and showing us pictures of hurricane damage that he had taken from the air, all while flying and chatting away. Andrew, as co-pilot, was in charge of staying in the plane while we maneuvered into position for takeoff with the airplane door open! The pilot said it was for air conditioning!!

We spent the night in San Juan, after sorting out our connection to Philadelphia, that had us flying out of San Jose, Calif... oops! We arrived at our (self-quarantine) AirBnB in Narberth, where we will be for a month or so while we figure out the rest of our summer. So, this may be the last post until late October or early November when we plan to head back to our sailing adventure on Billy Ruff’n.

Hurricane Plan

Dear Friends - You haven’t heard from us in a while because not much has happened. We are still in our slip in St. Lucia where we’ve been for almost 3 months. Other than liquor going back on sale, finding a paddle tennis partner for some fun on the lawn, sampling the awesome take out sushi from Rituals and finishing Ozark on Netflix, the biggest news is that we have a hurricane plan.

Although our original plan was to haul out in Trinidad next month, it hasn’t opened so we have committed to hauling the boat here at Rodney Bay boatyard on 5/29. We’ve secured insurance to cover us on the hard and started the process of taking off sails and putting things away for the off season. We have a scheduled flight on 6/6 and an AirBnB to stay in after the boat is hauled and another one to quarantine in when we get home. The tentative plan for the rest of the summer is to look into renting an RV so we can visit friends & family, while reducing the chance of infecting their homes.

Other highlights this month include visiting with the yoga instructor that has been running classes on the dock for marina clients. We put our masks on and took a cab to her home overlooking Rodney Bay Harbor and enjoyed a small cocktail party which started to feel like the good old days. Here’s a photo of the view from her deck.

We also enjoyed a Zoom meeting with approximately 40 Cruising Club of America members who were interested in hearing about our travels in the Caribbean and our experience with COVID 19 in paradise.

At the moment, we are looking forward to coming home and seeing our friends in a state by state socially responsible way!

The reality of our 47 foot world!

Lest you think that Andrew and I have been galavanting around the Caribbean with friends for the last couple months, let me set the record straight. The last two posts were make believe! The reality is that we are mostly confined to our 47 foot boat in Rodney Bay Marina, St. Lucia. Granted, we are now able to get out for food and essentials (which in my interpretation includes exercise) but otherwise, we sit and/or do projects right here at the dock.

Much of the day, we catch up on news, email, french lessons and our new Netflix addictions, in the cockpit with a view of the harbor out back. Down below, we have a galley, that requires cleaning 2-3 times a day, where we make coffee, cook meals and store cold foods in a 24’’ x 14” x 16” refrigerator and a freezer about half that size. Under the galley counter is our woefully empty liquor cabinet!!

In the stern of our boat, we have two bunk bed style aft cabins that could technically sleep two people each. The cabin next to the galley has both bunks chock full of kitchen and other boating gear, but we’ve manage to keep the bottom bunk in the other cabin clear in the event we have a guest. (Two guests would require some major re-packing! Four will never happen!!) Next to the guest cabin and across from the galley is the head, with the toilet, sink and a very small shower, that requires a bench for Andrew to sit on since he’s too tall to stand.

Next to the head is the navigation station (the nav) which houses our computers, VHF & satellite radio’s and other navigation/communications equipment. Across from the nav is a three sided bench around a large teak table. Under and behind the benches is storage for more boat supplies as well as canned foods and other pantry items. Across from the benches is Andrew’s favorite piece of furniture in the boat... the paper chart cabinet.

Moving forward is our bunk and the fore peak. In the fore peak is the anchor & sail locker, water maker, paint shop, laundry room, etc.

Back up top side, we have our transportation (dinghy and stand up paddle board) lashed aboard for trips to the grocery store or a paddle around the marina.

This has been our world for going on almost two months now. We did not clean up the boat for the pictures to give you a real sense of it. Albeit, the weather and scenery is nice, but it’s getting hot and tiresome. In other words, we know how you all feel about getting back to some kind of normal!!!

An imaginary cruise through the Grenadines & Grenada - Part 2

To continue our imaginary trip with our great friends Jeff & Kathy, after Tobago Cays, we had planned to visit Mayreau, a short 4-5 mile trip to the northwest. Winds were 14-16 knots out of the east that day with 4 ft seas, pretty much a persistent condition for most of the week so far. Since it was such a short trip, we would have likely motor-sailed (unless Jeff insisted on hoisting the spinnaker, as this was the closest we’ve gotten to going downwind).

Mayreau is a small island with pristine beaches and some of the most spectacular diving in the cuts between the Cays. Salt Whistle Bay, our anchoring destination, is also a good place for Stand Up Paddle boarding and enjoying tasty local dishes from the string of beach shacks on shore.

The next day we planned a trip from Mayreau to Union Island, a short 4-5 miles south in 15-19 knots out of the east. Our objective was to get to Clifton, a bustling port with a cosmopolitan vibe, on the windward side of the island. There we would visit the extensive outdoor market, replenish our gourmet supplies such as Caribbean chocolate, spices, coffee and rum and have sushi & smoothies at La Cabane juice bar. Later, we would enjoy treasure hunting at the boutiques and a meal at Barracuda, a not too expensive Italian restaurant with live music.

We celebrated Kathy’s birthday on Saturday, April 18th, with a 20 mile champagne sail (13-17 knots out of the east) to Carriacou, an island that is part of Grenada and requires check-in at Tyrrell Bay. Tyrrell Bay is a huge, well protected and popular bay with cruisers. We would load up on fuel, ice & water and get land showers and laundry service at the marina for the first time in a week. There are a lot of technical yacht services (canvas/sail repair, rigging, welding & fabricating, mechanical, etc.) and a good chandlery available. Assuming we didn’t have any technical issues to address, we might have taken a taxi ride to Windward, on the northern part of the island, where traditional boat building was made famous by the movie “Vanishing Sail” and you can still see the fishing fleet operating entirely under sail.

Our last two days with Kathy & Jeff started with a 25 mile sail (winds E 14-16 knots) to St. George’s, Grenada. When we arrived, we would enjoy the colorful brick buildings of this historic trading town and a slip reservation (electric & water hook up) at Port Louis Marina in the lagoon, across the bay from town, where we could make use of the pool, the Grenada Yacht Club, duty free shopping and a slew of first rate bars & restaurants.

On April 21st, Jeff & Kathy were scheduled to fly out early in the morning so with that, my imaginary trip through the Grenadines & Grenada ends. Now perhaps, I’ll try to figure out what we would have done with Michael M if he had shown up for his visit later that week!

An imaginary cruise through the Grenadines & Grenada - Part 1

Last week, our dear friends and former boat partners were to have been cruising with us from St. Lucia through the Grenadines to Grenada. Since COVID 19 has changed everyone’s plans, I decided to take that trip in my imagination and share the highlights with you. So here goes...

On Saturday April 11th, Jeff & Kathy would have arrived at the Vieux Fort airport around 1:30pm. From there, they had an hour long taxi ride to Rodney Bay, where we would meet them in the marina. After loading their gear on Billy Ruff’n, we would have likely grabbed some beers and pizza at our favorite Italian restaurant, Elena’s.

The next day, we planned a 52 mile sail from Rodney Bay, St. Lucia to Cumberland Bay, St. Vincent. According to the weather that day, it would have been a lovely close reach with 15 - 18 knot winds out of the SSE. We planned to sneak in just before dark and skip the check-in process since it was just an overnight stop to break up the long trip to Bequia. Apparently, this is a friendly bay, unlike most on St. Vincent, where locals will dinghy out to get your restaurant order.

The next morning, we would weigh anchor around 8am to make the 35 mile trip to Port Elizabeth, Bequia. Winds were 10-16 out of the E with 4 ft waves for another nice reaching sail. We would have arrived around 2pm to anchor in Admiralty Bay, where we would check-in to the Grenadines. Bequia is a good place for provisioning, so we would have stocked up on cheese, wine, deli and frozen meats, which were difficult to find in St. Lucia. We also would have made some time to explore the shops for handicrafts such as scrimshaw, carved coconuts and hand painted calibashes.

We wanted to visit Mustique, a private island known as the playground for the rich and famous, and were advised that the best way to do do was via ferry from Bequia. So the next day, we might have hopped the ferry to enjoy the lovely hiking trails and The View, one of the less expensive lunch spots on this wild and restricted island.

Alternatively, we might have spent the next day exploring Bequia, enjoying some fish, sautéed conch or mutton for lunch on the beach and the views from Mt. Peggy.

On Wednesday April 15th, we planned to sail to Tobago Cays, a group of small, mostly uninhabited islands with well protected bays. After a 20 mile sail, in the usual 13-15 knots of wind out of the east, we would have anchored off Horseshoe Reef near Petit Bateau, where there is excellent snorkeling and turtle watching. These islands also provide for secluded walks on gorgeous beaches.

To be continued...

How to provision during a pandemic

The main thing I’ve learned over the last week or so while under various forms of lockdown in St. Lucia, is about the creativity and resourcefulness of sailors when trying to overcome obstacles. At the beginning of the week, we were under 24 hour lockdown, which meant not leaving the boat for any reason other than medical emergency! At this point, I learned an important provisioning rule (which may be applicable for land bound folks in the future), which is to have at least two weeks worth of canned or dry food and necessities (ie. toilet paper) at all times in your lockers/cupboard. Fortunately, we had that but the prospect of living off it for the next few weeks wasn’t appealing!!

A few days after the initial 24 hour lockdown, restrictions were eased enough to open the grocery stores, but we found 1 to 4 hour waits in the line (standing 6 feet apart) to get into the stores. Once I got into our local Marketplace, where the line was only 1 hour, I found 1 apple, 1 tomato, milk, oj and coffee. It was time for some sailor ingenuity to kick in!

One fellow, who lives on his boat in the bay with his wife and two young children, works locally and has lots of contacts. He helped to organize the marina/bay crowd with alternatives for provisioning vegetables, eggs, fish and bakery items. A volunteer would collect orders and money for either the bay folks or the marina folks and then call in the order, meet the vendor and delivered to the various boats.

I was the marina volunteer for the bakery. We needed twenty items in order for the baker to deliver so we combined the marina and bay orders. When the bakery truck arrived, we sorted out the different orders in the parking lot and the volunteer for the bay went off in his dinghy to deliver while I hoofed off with my canvas bag full of warm bread & buns for the marina. Below is a picture of me (from across the dock) on my delivery route. It was a great opportunity to get some exercise, meet folks (from 6 feet away) that I hadn’t met yet and to catch up with friends in the marina.

The vegetable and egg orders worked in similar fashion but the fish order was a little different. We were provided with a menu and instructed to call Lucian Blue Ocean Seafood directly. After doing so (and getting no answer), I tried What’s App. Someone responded to my specific request with “np”, which I presumed to mean ‘no problem’. The next day, I used What’s App to inquire about the time & place of pick-up. The response I got was “Good Morning”. Apparently, I neglected to use the proper protocol so I repeated the question proceeded by an appropriate greeting. The response I got was “today”. Around 5pm that afternoon, I got a hang up call from Lucian Blue Ocean Seafood. When I inquired via What’s App, they said that deliveries would be “first thing tomorrow morning”.

I dared not ask what time “first thing” in the morning meant but the next day I found out that it meant 2pm in the afternoon. Finally, the fish ordered arrived but they didn’t quite get my order right. I had asked for 2 salmon steaks and 2 Mahi fillets. They had 5 lbs of salmon and 2 frozen Mahi (2 foot long with head & tail in tact), none of which would fit in my tiny freezer. Thankfully, they let me take half of the salmon and cancel the Mahi. Next time, I’ll stick with vege, egg and bakery orders!!

This week it looks like we’ll be back to a 7pm to 5am lockdown with access to essential services most days. This will alleviate some of the issues and I’m confident that whatever challenges we face, the sailor ingenuity will come through. In the meantime, we will entertain ourselves hanging out in our very own tent city, sharing virtual toasts at sundown and appreciating the full moon, international space station and other celestial sightings at night!!!

What a difference a day makes!

One week ago, I was writing about my fairly limited, but tolerable schedule under the COVID-19 restrictions here in St. Lucia. That day, we went about life as usual getting some boat projects done (dremel work, cleaning mildew, laundry, taking down the Salty Dawg flag that has seen better days, etc.). At some point in the morning, this fellow with one red and one green shoe walked up to introduce himself. He said he knew our boat and had done all of the bright work below. As soon as he said his name was Vision, I remembered Scott, the prior owner, telling us about the great work that he had done. We asked Vision to come back the next day to discuss some projects.

Little did we know, the next day we would be under 24 hour lockdown, unable to leave our “place of residence” for any reason other than a medical emergency! With no warning and no indication of how long we were going to be living with these new restrictions, we were confined to the boat, grocery stores were closed, yoga was cancelled, liquor was not allowed to be sold, etc. We were going to be living on our stores of canned goods for who knows how long. Fortunately, I had made a lasagna the prior evening and there was enough leftover for two more dinners.

Somebody must have come to their senses and realized, people need to eat, so by Thursday of that week, we were able to go to the grocery store during limited hours. For one hour, I stood in a line that extended out the parking lot, with 6 feet between customers in order to let 10 people in the store at a time. By the time I got in, I was able to purchase 1 apple, 1 tomato, a container of UHT milk and some fake orange juice.

That day, the topic of discussion on the VHF cruisers net was the definition of “place of residence”. Was it your boat, the boat and dock your boat was on, the marina (with all of it’s facilities) or what? I spent the day testing the limits by taking walks on the docks, swimming in the pool, paddling my SUP to the marina, and taking other people’s trash to the dumpster for an excuse to get out. Someone accused someone of stealing trash the next day so I stopped the later operation!

Now we fill our days with some boat projects, lots of reading & internet surfing, daily cocktail hour chats on What’s App with anyone who wants to talk to us, and visits with the security guards in the marina. I’ve been instructed on how to cook roti and fish stew from Edgar, the guard pictured below (who just barely fits in the guard station).

The yachties have determined that our place of residence is the marina and yesterday, the Prime Minister announced that effective on Tuesday, April 6th, we will go back to the 10 hour (7pm to 5am) lockdown with essential services being open from 8am to 1pm on select days. We need to adhere to the 6 foot distancing when in public and use proper coughing etiquette. We’ve made masks out of a T-shirt to match the kelly green of our canvas and we are ready for whatever this week brings.

Meanwhile, Mother Nature never ceases to amaze with this friendly black bird that visited us on the boat and the incredible halo rainbow that was observed from Rodney Bay during all of this human commotion!!