Dec 19, Off to St. Vincent
The rain let up by the time we awoke and we were treated to a nice rainbow over the water, surely a good omen. Dan and Em were heading into Soufriere to clear us out so I figured I would tag along and find some saltfish for breakfast. The customs officer hadn’t turned up yet when we arrived so there was plenty of time to complete my quest. I met a young man who claimed his grandmother made the best coca tea in Soufriere; being a big fan of cocoa tea I followed him to granny’s house on a small road just off the town square. The tea was nice, but not as spiced as I prefer; there was someone selling saltfish on the corner and I soon had the perfect breakfast in hand.


Em at the helm

Once back on Skyelark, we retrieved our stern line and raised the anchor, setting off for Cumberland Bay. The 5 ½ hour passage across the channel between the two islands was somewhat boisterous, the swells increasing when we neared St. Vincent, as usual. Once in the lee of the La Soufriere volcano the wind died and we fired up the diesel. We were greeted at the entrance to the bay by William, who followed us in and took our stern line to shore, a service we pay 10 EC for. The local contingent of boat boys came by to display their wares, I purchased a nice necklace from Ezekiel for 15 EC. We took the dingy to shore to have some beers at Joseph’s bar; while there Dan mentioned this may be our last opportunity to try manicou, a type of local opossum, Josephs daughter in law overheard us and soon it was arranged to have a manicou dinner upon our return to Cumberland next week.


Skyelark anchored in Cumberland Bay

Dinner this night was an onboard barbeque of chicken, burgers, and some Mineo and Sapio Italian sausage I had brought along for the trip; side dishes of cole slaw and zucchini completed our meal. Afterwards it was nightcaps of Chairmen’s Reserve rum in the cockpit as Robin, Dan’s dad, played some songs on his travel guitar. We were all feeling a bit tired from our sail today so it was an early night to bed.

A fisherman's boat rests on the beach