February
We are back in Rodney Bay in St Lucia and our friends Jenny and Richard are going back to France after five weeks cruising with us. We have had a great time together and it will seem strange to back to the two of us.
From Chatham Bay on Union Island we went to Clifton and stayed overnight before a very brisk and wet reach up to lovely Bequia again. Here we met up with Galadriel and Northern Winds again and arranged to be ferried across to the Thursday night BBQ at the Frangipani Hotel. There were mountains of food to consume to go with the excellent steaks and all at tables just by the water’s edge on a perfect evening. A great time was had by all and we hope that we will meet up with these boats again as we move further to the north. Very few boats will make the trip to the USA, most will spend the hurricane season in Trinidad or Venezuela if they stay here. Of course, many US boats have found their way down here instead.

Richard and Jenny lookng a great deal more healthy than when they arrived!
A view of Admiralty Bay in Bequia from the old fort protecting the mouth
Angie and the cannons in Bequia
Jenny and Richard enjoying the fast and sometimes wet reach up to Bequia from Clifton
In her Sunday best a girl playing on the jetty built for Pirates of the Caribbean in Wallilabou
The old brig Unicorn was used as the pirate ship for Pirates of the Caribbean - known locally as 'The Brig'
The Barrel of Beef rocks off Rodney Bay in St Lucia
Our favorite first granddaughter is looking better and better and we are not biased...

We really love the atmosphere in Bequia and can quite understand why it is such a popular Christmas destination for cruising yachts. There are extensive yacht support services, although the chandleries are fairly basic. There are numerous sailmakers and canvas workers so we arranged to have two simple hatch covers made to keep the rain out while the hatches remain open. Night ventilation is essential in the humid heat but most rainfall occurs at night in the form of squalls and the wind ensures great moisture penetration if you are not properly equipped.
We found time to walk round the northern shore of the harbour and climb up the steep road to the old fort that would have guarded the bay in the days of sailing warships. The old cannon remain and the strategic importance is obvious. The frigate birds (locally Man-’o-War birds) soar effortlessly above the hill looking for their next hapless tern or gannet (locally ‘fish-catchers’) victim from whom to steal their supper. Fun to watch!

The day before we planned to leave a huge swell rolled in from the north and quickly made the anchorage less pleasant. We cut our losses and enjoyed a brisk motor-sail up to St Vincent with reefed main and staysail. We headed into Wallilabou again and anchored of the stage set for ‘Pirates’ with a stern line to the pier built for the films. Surrounded by tropical rainforest we should not have been surpried to have 24 hours of tropical rain squalls. We and the other four boats anchored near each other dragged at dawn and we left rapidly to go to St Lucia.
This is the roughest passage in the Windward Islands with 25 knots on the nose.

There were 30 knot squalls and the Atlantic seas just pour through the gap! You cannot lay St Lucia and we motor sailed with reefed main and staysail, managing to reach the lee of the Pitons without a tack. Others were miles to leeward of the rhumb line. We anchored in the lagoon at Marigot Bay and had supper at The Shack.

Back in Rodney Bay we have had the bottom cleaned by divers and changed the engine oil. We have a water seal to get replaced on the raw water pump and plan to do this when we move up to Martinique shortly.
Doesn’t Aspen look great!! She is coming to meet us in Florida in April and have her first sail. Try the video:

Video of the wonderful Aspen gurgling if you like that sort of thing...

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