10/2/11 Thursday
Today is our last full day in Grenada so we decided to make it another beach day. We walked down the beach and turned off to the main road at Garfields. There was a man selling fish cake sandwiches and Jamaican style meat patties from a plastic box at the bus stop. One sandwich and two meat patties were $5 Ec. They were homemade and the roll was very fresh. Afterwards we went to Donut world where we each had a donut and I had a coffee, $12 EC. We set up a little further south than usual for a change of pace. Kim laid in the sun while I walked the beach and swam. I had planned to do some hiking this trip, but Kim is a sun worshipper, not a hiker, so I indulged her knowing that on the charter we will be stopping in places where the beach won’t be a priority. For lunch I walked over to Southside for a chicken roti. It wasn’t as good as the last two, but was still Ok; I went for the bone in rather than the boneless because I think meat is more flavourful when cooked on the bone. On the way back to the hotel we stopped at the spice and craft market on the beach to say goodbye to our favorite venders and make some purchases. After some relaxing and showers we headed out for dinner around 7:30. We walked down the beach to Umbrellas, which is near the southern end of the beach. We got caught in a passing shower, but it was a warm rain. On the recommendation of some of the other guest at the hotel we tried the hamburgers, they were thick and juicy and nicely seasoned. With an order of potato wedges, a few drinks and tip the bill was $80 EC.
11/2/11 Friday
We were up early to pack and check out, I arranged a taxi for 8:30 am. Traffic was heavy on the way to the airport but we made it with plenty of time to spare. Our Liat flight was on time and our luggage arrived with us and intact, even though we had a layover in Barbados and our planes stopped in Canouan and St. Vincent. I have had good luck with Liat and I use them every year when traveling in the Caribbean. Customs and immigration were quick and painless at the airport in Castries, St. Lucia. We met Dan and Em at H2O, where we had a couple beers before going to the boat. This charter will be pretty laid back as Kim and I are the only guest on board. Dan’s sister Deb is going with us, she flew in from Antigua where she has been staying with her boyfriend Matt. Matt is skippering Snow Wolf for the charter season. This was his first year as skipper in the ARC and he took 2nd place honors overall, a very good achievement for the young man, considering over 200 yachts took part in the event. They replaced the counter tops on Skyelark with new corian, and the workmen hadn’t quite finished the job yet. After dropping our stuff off at the boat, a couple on a British catamaran invited us over for a drink. A young German couple, who were docked ahead of Skyelark joined us, they had sailed to St. Lucia in a folkboat that was only 7.85 metres(26 feet) in length, they have a 4 hp outboard for an engine .They were a wonderful couple and didn’t feel they had accomplished anything special by doing so.

The little boat sailed from Germany to St. Lucia
Kim and I took the bus to Rodney Bay to go to the bank and meet Trendy for a drink at Happy Day Bar. We had Marley give us a ride back to the marina in his water taxi. His outboard is stuck in forward, but he has become very skilled at maneuvering it. Dinner was at The Starfish Grill in the marina. Kim had the chicken and mushroom pumpkin risotto, the rest of us went for the wok noodles. We all enjoyed our meals and the bill with drinks and 10% service charge was $220 EC. We were joined by Kyle and Nikki then all of us grabbed a bus to the jump up in Gros Islet, we got on to find Trendy already aboard as he was going to meet us and show us around. I have been coming to St. Lucia for three seasons now and have always had intention of going to the jump up but never made it. What a good time! I knew they had food there but never imagined the amount of stands and variety available. We were all soon wishing we had skipped the restaurant and ate there; that is no reflection on the food at Starfish but we all just love the local dishes and the aroma from the food stands was awesome. The street was full of tourist and locals, there is a good police presence and they are quick to nip any trouble in the bud. We never once felt out of place or in any danger, it was just a great time and I will be returning on each future visit. They have a DJ, who keeps the tunes cranking and the people dancing, there are also plenty of vendors selling beers, drinks, and homemade spiced rum. About midnight we took a taxi to Rodney Bay where we stopped at Delirious for some drinks. The bar was full and the music was lively. Kim, Trendy and I took a walk around to find John Doe; he and some other people we know were at Fiddlers Green, which is located in Ku de ta. Now we only planned to stay for a drink or two, but it was the last time we would see our friends until next year and the drinks were flowing. About 3:00 am they closed the place up and we found ourselves at the afterhours party. I was in the groove, singing and dancing, and ready to stay up until breakfast, but more sober minds (Kim) prevailed and Trendy got us a taxi back to the marina around 4:00 am.

We are on Skyelark now so my reports will be posted as we find wifi, photos may be a little sparse. thanks to all who are following along.