TravelTalkOnline Forums Trip Reports (Read Only) Trip Report and Photo Archives Voyage to the Clouds - #3

Sorry for delay - traveling + Mac/cellular/TTOL loading issues
Now let’s get to the Touring, Activities, Eating & Drinking.....then I’ll sneak in the last piece of Sailing in the last installment.

No Matter How Much Time You Have - Ya still gotta make Choices.

Oyster Pond, St. Martin:
Humm, it was more of a “working” 2 days......Thurs 5/21 Afternoon - After getting settled into the Bungalow, we walked down thru the property into the marina area. We were going to stop at the Dinghy Dock ( it is pretty famous place - including pour your own ) for drinks but our curiosity took us past them, also past Captain Oliver’s restaurant - around into the iguana Bar. It has a great location on the windward side of the marina with views directly toward the infamous channel entrance.

We hit happy hour (yeah) and had a friendly young lady as a bar tender. We started sitting at the bar but after 30 mins or so a table on the edge of the water opened up. The view, fresh breeze & no downwind cigarette smoke signaled the start of the trip. We finished our 2nd or was it 3rd round and started thinking about dinner. The bar does serve some appetizers but we needed something more substantial.

We did not feel like anything formal so after checking a few menus / places, we went back to the Dinghy Dock which looked like a fun casual place and has blackboard menus. It was the right choice and would become our local favorite.
I had a very good salad & carbonara spaghetti (excellent even w/o bacon). Laid back, friendly & great service. We called it a night early (we were up very early anyway) plus a rain shower helped bring down the curtain.

Fri 5/22 - Picked up our fresh croissants & other pastry items by the hotel office that you can order/pay for each afternoon before............so we were feeling the french vibe at breakfast. My crew had left over work.........aaarrrrrrghhhhhh, so her day was planned. I went down to the Moorings office to introduce myself & double check our schedule. After speaking to one of the hotel owners about driving directions, I took a short (became longer thanks to road detour - saw more than a couple of road construction projects underway & a need for lots more) trip to exchange some $$$$ based on her recommendation (she said they offer better rate). If I had to do it all over again, I would choose a bank vs local exchange place. The place was fine but the rate seemed high to me.

Feeling brave after that trip, I then headed off to do our provisioning local shop + order heavier goods at the Grand Marche on Bush Rd. A few wrong twists & turns but local people were always helpful + despite the SXM traffic somehow I got there. The supermarket is one of the best in the caribbean. Large, clean, well stocked, many choices, liquor/wines too and reasonable prices (listed in dutch guilders). The employees were helpful & a special note of thanks to the mgr on duty - Chandan, who helped with my delivery order & ensured it arrived as promised. Even though it was small compared to some of the mega-yacht orders I’m sure they get.

Returned to Oyster Pond and attended a chart briefing which was scheduled in the afternoon for another boat doing an evening start. It was “choppy” since the other crew showed up late & we had very different voyage plans. Happy hour on our deck watching the sun setting and it was time for dinner. This time we looked at a few places in the neighborhood that I had seen while driving but nothing hit our fancy so we went back to the marina area and ate at a small place run by a couple called Quai Owest. You actually walk thru it from the hotel on your way to the Marina......very close to Sunsail & Moorings office. Very good food & wine......and yes french. Another early night after long busy day & charter beginning the next day.

Sat 5/23 - Early rise but not early enough to catch those who stole part of our pastry order. It’s an honor system & that day there was no honor among guests. 
Very busy am = pack, get gas for car, move luggage & food we bought to Moorings office & onto boat (cold food). Return rental car at marina (great). Started boat briefing down below with A/C (only with shore power) on the boat which was a nice break & useful while we were getting ready to cast off. We decided to have a good lunch so we returned to the Dinghy Dock for that carbonara + salads........great again.
We left Oyster Pond about 2:30 or so. Already spoke of the anchorage. We stopped into Gustavia that night but returned back to the boat early & dealt with the rock & roll.

Sun 5/24 - Up early thanks to rough night. Off to C & I and got a reference to a cafe from Officer Bruno. It is up (east) the little hill in town 2 streets then turn right. The cafe is on the right side with a bakery/cafe on the left side. Almost everything was closed on Sunday including the Tourism office (huh?)_ so the choices were limited compared to Sat nite when everything was hopping. The cafe had a full range of stuff to eat so we were happy. They gave us a rental car reference - so off we went & found a very friendly owner / character at Beranger Car Rental. They close at noon on Sunday - so we made it and off we went to tour a sleepy & quiet St. Barths. Easy to drive even if hilly with not enough signs. Hit almost all the beaches (think they list at least 12), did a few errands, stopped by the infamous airport runway,



ate lunch back in Gustavia at Le Repaire which was quiet but good with great service. We took off again for more touring, then went back to supermarket (pharmacy nearby too) at the airport before it closed to pick up an item or two we still needed. Never could hit right street for Shell beach (help from Tourism office the next day showed it was very easy but road detour made it confusing for us tourists. You can park in water front public parking lot for free all the time despite parking machine / signs but be careful other places as parking police are out & about during week days. I was trying to return rental when I met one who was nice but firm. Back to the rolly boat for a rolly dinner.

Mon 5/25 - Up early again, guess why?....more rolling throughout the night. Crew had more work to do so offf to Le Repaire where they have free wi-fi. I stopped into Tourism office (right next to C & I) - wow, very dressed up female staff matches St. Barths reputation as upscale fashion forward but very nice & helpful.
We had decided to move to Anse du Colombier that afternoon and some of the info ie; shell museum, others closed on Mon cemented our choice. I got gas at airport, returned car, checked out with C & I, hit supermarket (pharmacy also available in town too down the waterfront street past Le Repaire) across the street from waterfront & tourism office for last few items. Left Gustavia about 2:30 pm. Afternoon & evening at Columbier was quiet as we prepared for long sail to Nevis the next day.

Tues 5/26 - Up early, mainsail up by 7:30 with bow pointed toward 1st waypoint on our way to Nevis. I’ll skip sailing here. Nevis arrival was uneventful. Happy hour & dinner on board.

Weds 5/27 - Charlestown, Nevis - Up early - did the C & I dance already documented - which slowed down our plan but we picked it back up in the afternoon - Tourism office where staff was very helpful & friendly, hit Alexander Hamilton museum which we thought was OK but over priced - staff was nice & knowledgeable - desk top internet available (no public internet businesses anymore - ones mentioned in cruising guide are closed - a few wi-fi though) but very pricey. We called Taxi driver who “recruited us‘ on our initial dinghy landing and set time for island tour. He sent a substitute which worked out very well - the famous “Teach” of Teach Tours.........yes, a former teacher originally from Dominica but a true caribbean gentleman with all the local knowledge. Fun tour although I did not have to see every plantation.



Back to boat for happy hour & dinner.

Thurs 5/28 - Up early and decided to do a self-guided hike that starts at the Golden Rock Plantation office (they give you a map + walking sticks) up toward the Source (island water supply). We started later (took a cab - not cheap - $20 usd - but regulated with rate list available at tourism office) than planned & since we wanted to include lunch at the Golden Rock, we did a timed 3 hr r/t hike. We were rewarded with a great garden table with a view of the Atlantic Ocean + surrounded with hills, trees & flowers.



Lovely setting and very good food including the Lobster sandwich my crew drooled over. We took the local van / bus back after a green monkey filled (look closely & fast as they are very shy) walk down to the main road. The local van / bus trips are always on my “to do list”. They are more “expensive” than SVG ($2.50 ec vs $1.50 ec) and not as “exciting” (they drive like they want to live to see another day) but still gives you the local flavor of the culture. They were friendly & safe. We picked up a few fruits & veggies from local open produce market near the dock - slim pickings & not cheap. Dropped crew off at Sunshine’s beach bar (wanted to check out their wi-fi that never cooperated) while I did a few things and I returned for the famous Killer Bee drink.



I had 2 and still was OK to drive dinghy back to the boat. But Sunshine’s is definitely worth a visit - well set up, great location and even met the man himself, very nice. Back to the boat for dinner.

Fri 5/29 - A morning filled with small errands - refill dinghy gas tank, internet check - wi-fi at dock bar, Decided to take Dinghy ride to Oualie Beach. Yup, it took about a 1/2 hour going against the current, staying dry & conserving fuel but we got a close look at the abandoned 4 Seasons, shoreline construction projects and the Narrows. The attraction at Oualie beach is the aquarium ( hands on ) which just re-opened run by an american (Barbara Whitman) who also runs a snorkle / dive tour operation. The Oualie Beach Club has a very attractive Inn & Restaurant where we ate a tasty lunch on the beach under some shady trees.



The clouds were getting darker & darker so we decided to start the trip back. We decided that the weather & late hour were signs that we should delay our departure to St. Kitts till the am. We had happy hour & dinner on board.



Sat 5/30 - We departed at 7:30am for White House Bay, St. Kitts 
Hit Basseterre by lunch time. We visited the National Museum (adjacent to the new Port Zante cruise ship area) which was very well done & extremely informative but closed early on Saturday. The tourism office was closed on Sat. We headed off to Ballahoo restaurant in the Circus just up the block for lunch.



Great people & scene watching place and we had a table right on the rail. I had checked the web & knew a cruise ship would be in port but the crowds were not that bad. The downtown area was in full swing with the market & pre-holiday shopping. Relaxing and fun lunch - I had local veggie plate + home made ginger beer - tasty. We did a bunch of little errands, visited the veggie market late, spoke to marina / C & I, toured the Port Zante artificial streets and tried to arrange island tour. It was getting late so we arranged a early morning hike with a guy we met while walking thru Port Zante. So we decided to take cab (not cheap - $ 25 usd) back to White House Bay. Happy hour & dinner on board.

Sun 5/31 - Up early and breakfast before being picked up at 8:30am by Greg of Greg’s Safari Tours who handed us a card as we walked thru Port Zante on Sat. After about a 40 min ride (weaving past church traffic / parking), we were in the Caribelle Batik area which is also an entry point to a rain forest. We began our 3+ hour hike that took us thru the forest and then into a dry plain all with a running educational commentary expertly done by Greg.



It ended with a local snack of fresh pineapple, mango, juice, guava cheese, rum and water. What a great way to spend a Sunday morning. Highly recommend Greg even if the tour is a little pricey - value was still high. He dropped us off and we spent the rest of the day limin‘ on & off the boat. Happy hour and dinner on board.

Mon 6/1 - Up early headed to Oranjestad, Statia. Arrived late afternoon and other than C & I, it was only time for my crew to be amazed by a local guy cleaning a ton of Conch. She scored a large partially damaged & not really cleaned shell but to a fanatic it still counts. Happy hour & dinner on board - no charge for the rock & roll.

Tues 6/2 - Up early - hit Marine office to get local info, map & check internet. Great people & ambassadors (especially Jessica) for the island & conservation. We went (hike up the rocky hill path to town) to Duggins supermarket (lots of stuff surprisingly but not a pretty place), small bakery and returned to stow stuff & move boat (thanks to couple leaving who said it would be less roll - not really) to #1 mooring ball. We went back (hike up the hill path) to town to visit Fort Oranje - which was the 1st to salute a ship with the 1st American flag and were punished by the British.



Visited the Tourism office which is within the fort grounds. The gentleman was very nice and helpful, wish the island lived up to his enthusiasm. We decided to eat lunch, visited the restaurant the Tourism office suggested - Ocean View which looked promising from the posted menu outside but when we entered we were the only ones and the not so friendly employee handed us a hand written menu du jour that only had one choice. We passed and headed to Intermezzo Cafe that sounded like fun and would be if you like french fries. It was a very expensive wasted meal. We limed the afternoon away, hit small museum, got our hiking permits ($12 usd) for the next day. Happy Hour & dinner aboard.

Weds 6/3 - Up early and hiking by 8:30am to the Quill (well maintained & marked trails) which is the volcano on the island.



Also took the add’l hike down to the crater floor then back to the boat by 12:30pm. Lunch on board, lime the afternoon away, internet at Marine park office, snorkel dip & get ready for early departure. Happy Hour & dinner on board.

Thurs 6/4 - Up early. Supermarket & bakery run for last minute items before departing for Il Fourchue. We arrived about 2:30pm. Storm clouds all around which set up a windy and rocky night with a few showers. Happy hour and dinner on board

Fri 6/5 - Last full day of the charter - We celebrated our return to the French isles with Champagne - Mimosas - fruit and French Toast.........great way to start the day. We heard a rumble & saw a large French coast guard boat slide by to the cruisers in front of us. Whew, we were holding a zarpe for St. Martin and did not feel like a mimosa filled conversation with the french crew would help our buzz. So after a detailed conversation with the french cruisers, watching them hold the big boat steady in shallow water and then give us a wave & smile, we went off to hike parts of the island to get some photos.

[img]http://i697.photobucket.com/albums/vv339/SMP806/IMG_1913.jpg[/img]

We returned got the snorkel gear out and checked out the marine life which is actually pretty good there. Then the winds started picking back up and dark clouds appearing again when a few squalls came thru taking a snorkel fin with it. We did some packing and then had our last happy hour & dinner aboard.

Sat 6/6 - Return to Oyster Pond, SXM. Once the boat was handed back over to Moorings, we had another meal (gotta get bulked up for the flight back to the states) at the Dinghy Dock. Yup, I had the carbonara again and my crew had the snapper special both were delicious. Taxi picked us up at 1pm - 45 traffic filled mins later we were at the very nice airport - again 1st time departing since new one was opened. Easy check-in since we were so early for 4:30pm flight. Took our time, bought a sandwich for the flight just in case the pasta wore off. Easy trip thru security - oops crew forgot can of soda - say good bye to that, bought some duty free gifts and departed on time even though it was from lower level (no jetway).

Best Island Visited - Nevis with St. Barths a close 2nd. The laid back friendly people, mellow pace and the natural beauty makes Nevis a winner.

Most Disappointing Island - and receiving my 2009 Mustique (god forsaken, erase from my memory & future plan list) Award = Statia - Even with the great marine park folks (and most local people) who also take care of national park areas - the Oil Depot size & related noise, awful anchorage, almost deserted streets, no personality in general - I have no plans to return by air or sea.

Disclosure - Thought about putting it at the beginning but decided to place it here.
We planned to eat 1/2 of our meals ashore but only hit about 25%. It was influenced by time, weather conditions, locations, activity/energy levels and by our new dietary choices.
My crew has dropped meat from her diet and I went vegan in November. It really did not influence when & where we ate but there was a confidence that we could cook much better than many places we came across. Yes, I cheated with french butter filled bakery items but who among us could resist.

If you are interested in fine dining - you will not have any problem on St. Barths or Nevis. We heard of some good places on St. Kitts but never sought them out. Statia did not give any impression of having a good place to eat.

Another fun, educational, adventure filled and enjoyable trip to the Caribbean.

[img]http://i697.photobucket.com/albums/vv339/SMP806/IMG_1761.jpg[/img]