St Lucia to Grenada

We left Rodney Bay, St Lucia on the 23rd of April.   We had a long sail (70 miles) to Bequia.  We sailed past St Vincent and into Bequia.  I like Bequia.  We had been here twice before and knew what to expect.   We only rested here one day and then took off for Union Island with a stop for lunch in the Tobago Cays.  We went for a swim and then headed over to Union Island.  The next morning we went to Carricou and today we left Carricou and made it down to the south end of Grenada where we will leave the boat to come home.  So our dash down south had a few good stops.  Even when you come into an anchorage that you had been in before or past an island that you had been by before, there is always something new you notice.   Kinda like a new experience without the fear of being totally lost!!

We had some good sails, some good motors, some hysterical times, some rough seas, but all in all we made it.  Some of the highlights are in the photos below and some I will try to describe. 

On our way to Bequia,  we were motor sailing as there was no wind and I was fishing.  Every time I put the line out a squall would come up and I would have to wind the line back in and get ready for the squall.  After the third time of playing this game, Kirk told me I was a squall magnet and I could fish no more.  I laughed and laughed.  It seems like if there is no wind or light wind and I take the helm big winds will come up and we will have too much sail up.  You want some wind, just give the helm to Donna and go take a nap.  

When we left Bequia, the winds were light so I said to Kirk, you can fish and I will sail the boat.  (He always get stuck sailing the boat so I can get out of the sun)  Sure enough the winds started building but I was still ok.  They were under 20 knots and we had all the sails up.  I was drafting an email in my head to my brother Jay to find out how come we do not catch any fish. (I think we go too fast)   Kirk came up to tell me he was going to wind in the lines as we were in 110 feet of water and bang out spins the reel.   So of course I am supposed to SLOW the boat DOWN.   I turn into the wind and that is going great but we are going to run into land and I had crossed in front of a big sailboat that I had been watching  So then I had to recross in front of the big sailboat (120 feet  long) while I am trying to roll in the forward sail.  All the while Kirk is shouting commands from the stern while he is trying his hardest to pull in this fish.  I am jumping from the wheel (it seemed like the durn auto pilot would not hold a course) to the winch on the side of the boat to let out some sail sheet (the line connected to the end of the sail that holds the sail in place) to the big winch in the middle of the boat to wind the sail in.  This is all going on while the seas and winds are playing havoc with the boat   It seemed like it took forever and then Kirk says " uhoh,  I see silver. "  It was a barracuda.  Durn nation, I got beat up and bruised for a silly fish that would go back in the water.

We fueled up in Rodney Bay.  While at the fuel dock, the vegetable man (Gregory) whose boat you see in this picture came to to dock.   We had bought stuff from him prior and maybe he thought we were an easy target.  His boat makes me chuckle every time i see it.

This is a fort at the entrance to Rodney Bay.  We tried twice to hike up there but the weather did not permit that during our stay.  Next time.

During our brief visit in Bequia, we went to the turtle sanctuary.  It was heaven on earth for me.  These are land turtles that reminded me of the box turtles we see back home. (Much bigger though)  When we were driving back to the boat, via taxi, we saw one crossing the road.  Check out the one turning his head looking at us.

This picture does not do justice for this lovely farm.  Silly me, I was so enthralled with the goats, chickens, ginnea hens, ducks, dogs etc that I never got a good picture of the farm.  I did take a bunch of pics of the animals and was just content to watch them.  Too bad Kirk and the taxi driver were not as thrilled as me.  The guinea hens were chasing the roosters.  Hysterical.  

I think this is the biggest goat I have seen.

Another show stopper!!!   I could not figure out what in the heck this thing was.  Part Guinea, part chicken, part duck?  Where did the wings come from?   Was the strangest bird I have seen so far.  The man who runs the sanctuary told me it is a muscovy duck.  I did research on muscovy ducks and did not see any with wings like this, nor such an ugly head.

First thing in the morning, like 6 am the fishermen are out.  These guys were really close to the boat and I watched for about an hour.  Unfortunately, they did not catch anything.  It is a huge net that they set and then some of them swim around in the net while two others stay in the boat and pull in the net and reset anchors to hold them in place.  

This guy came up to watch also I guess.  There was yelling between the two boats.  Both mornings we were here this guy came to our boat with huge lobsters.  Lobster season is almost over.  In the background you can see more fishermen out in the deep water.

Another pic of the fishermen.

Ah yes the baby turtles.  This was so cool.  This man who is a native of Bequia, a retired free diver fisherman is doing his best to insure that the turtles survive.

 

This is the only green turtle he has.  He was big.  He said he was a pet that keeps coming back to the sanctuary.  He nursed him back to health after he was injured when he was young about half the size he is now.