Dec. 21 A man on a mission
I awoke to a beautiful morning with great anticipation of our trip into town as I had a few things to take care of there, and Kingstown is one of my favorite citys for street food. We walked up the short drive from the dingy dock to the main road and caught a bus into town. Being my first bus ride of the season it was a welcome treat to hear the high volume Soca music blaring away as we drove through the narrow winding streets, picking up ever more passengers as we went along, in St. Vincent it’s four to a row on the bus no matter how large they might be.
The bus dropped us off at the usual spot across from where a lot of food vendors set up. There was a lady selling saltfish on the corner on large airy bakes with just a hint of sweetness to them. It was good, but I had a better prize in mind, I walked down to where a woman sells hot meals out of a minivan and to my delight she had just what Dan and I were looking for, pigs foot souse. This version was served warm with a spicy broth almost like a soup; we would pick the slices up with our fingers and suck the meat off the bones, as it was very gelatinous it left our hands sticky. Jan, being Norwegian, could not resist the chance to try the local Blackfish stewed in a spicy sauce and served with provisions and coconut dumplings; he enjoyed it but found the taste and texture to be different from the large cetaceans they hunt at home.


Enjoying some pigs foot souse


If you're ever in Kingstown the van under the white tent is the place to stop for a local lunch or snack

After our mid-morning snack we had a glass of fresh juice from the juice van and walked down the crowded streets to the market, the town was especially busy since Christmas is just a few days away. You can probably find anything you might want being sold at the stalls and tables that seem to line each street and alley. At the market we picked up some mint for mojitos and nutmeg for rum punch, it’s always interesting to see the different fruits and veg on display along with the different spices and sauces.
Besides topping up my Vincy Digicel sim I wanted to pickup some bottles of Captain Bligh, my favorite sipping rum. We have heard that alcohol will be very expensive in the San Blas Islands and also in the Galapagos so I want to put in a good supply for when we are there later in our journey. Em has offered to hide some for (from) me so I will have a few bottles to bring home. All our business accomplished we boarded a bus back to the boat and made preparations to depart for our next stop, Bequia.
We sailed past Young Island under headsail alone, the swells from the Atlantic were almost squarely on the beam, occasionally sending the leeward rail into the water. It was a brisk sail and we got a good soaking from a passing squall which fortunately was short lived. As we approached the entrance to Admiralty Bay the photo guy came by in his dingy to shoot some pictures of the yacht, which he will bring around for us to look at and maybe purchase. I never cease to be impressed by his ability to steer the dingy in the rough seas while holding his telephoto equipped camera steady to get what are always great shots. We took a mooring ball just off the Frangipani, our usual spot; Dan dropped us off on shore where finding wifi and cold drinks were the first order of business. Jan and I went to the Whaleboner, the entrance arch is made from two whale ribs and the bar stool their vertebrae. The barmaid was going to use Mount Gay in our rum and cokes, but I requested local rum instead. She then took down a bottle of Sparrow rum, a new premium rum distilled in St. Vincent. After sending out our e-mails and posting my blog, we walked over to Knights grocery store for a bottle of Sparrow and some Sunset rum (170 proof) for my rum punch.

Jan and I at the Whaleboner

Once back on board, we settled in for dinner of chicken and leeks served over rice with banana flambé for dessert. After dinner we had a taste test between Sparrow and Bligh, with Captain Bligh winning hands down; it was decided that Sparrow would be great for mixed drinks especially at 24 EC per bottle. The rum tasting was again accompanied by good conversation and bad joke telling. There is always a party in town just before Christmas and the sound of the music spread over the harbor until the early hours of the morning; the intermittent squalls that passed through did not dampen the festivities.