Our Second Bare-Boat Charter
by Ieva & Malcolm Fraser
Ieva and I chartered in the Windwards last July (2003) starting in Grenada and coming up through the Grenadines for 2 weeks.
This year we decided to do a similar trip except starting in St. Lucia and sailing down to St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Air Canada took us to St. Lucia on July 4th and we returned on the 25th with 18 days on a Moorings 433, out of Marigot Bay. After last years experience the 43 foot Dufour GibSea did not look too big to handle for the 2 of us.
We arrived in St. Lucia about 1:30PM and then had a taxi ride of a little over an hour and ($180.00EC about $90.00 CF) up to Rodney Bay where our hotel (Rainbow Hotel) was.
We were picked up the next morning by our taxi driver about 0900 and went to a supermarket and liquor store to provision, arriving at Marigot Bay about 1100 to find that Moorings was a little late in getting our boat ready. We did our briefing and then a checkout with one of there skippers for about an hour and we finally left Marigot Bay about 1500.
It was a lovely reach down to the Pitons where we moored about 1730. You generally have to moor south of Marigot Bay, anchoring is only allowed in one location. A boat boy helped us moor and gave us a sales pitch on the various tours in the area. We did purchase a carving of the Pitons and a sailboat (Ieva’s souvenir).
We got up the next day and were on our way south by 0630. We wanted to go all the way to Bequia to avoid having to stop along the east coast of St. Vincent (the boat boys along the east coast of St. Vincent have not learned the gentlemanly ways of the boat boys in the Grenadines, more about this later). It was a wonderful beam reach all the way to Bequia in 15-25 knots of wind, an absolutely wonderful sail with a big rolling swell with small waves on top, in the open ocean portion between St. Lucia & the island of St. Vincent (10-12 feet). We anchored off Princess Margaret (Tony Gibbons) beach about 1600, put up our quarantine flag and relaxed in the cockpit with a couple of cold beers,
We checked in with customs the next morning and checked email and did some shopping at the fruit market (Ieva enjoys bargaining with the Rastafarians, and they seem to enjoy the process too) near the dinghy dock. We were going to eat dinner at the Gingerbread, but it was closed for low season and we continued down the beach to Mac’s Pizza for dinner. The conch fritter appetizer was wonderful! We stayed put for a couple of days, eat, drink & swim, and then repeat again.
On day 4 we sailed over to Mustique where a charter captain from one of the moored boats helped us with mooring. The difficulty with Mustique is their mooring balls have no line to pick up, you generally have to get out in your dinghy to attach yourself to the mooring ball. Mustique is a highlight to Ieva & I from last year and it was a great place to spend 3 nights on this year’s trip. We ate and drank at Basil’s a couple of times, had martinis and appetizers at the Firefly (we did not do dinner since it was disappointing last year). The Firefly’s martinis with a view were wonderful. Dinner at Basil’s was just ok, it seems they have lost all of there experienced staff to a new resort complex on Canouan, their bartender had difficulty making a MaiTai properly (however we do not sail in the Grenadines for fine food & drink but to enjoy the sailing and the overall wonderful experience). Sitting in Basil’s on a warm afternoon with a couple of cold beers, looking out at the sea & boats is just about the best way to while away a couple of hours. We met a couple from Philadelphia, enjoying their 1st bareboat with Barefoot Charters. (Our paths crossed a number of times during the trip, adding to the fun of travel). The library has a new head librarian (this is where the Internet is located), Natasha. For those who have traveled to Bequia in the past, Natasha ran an Internet café and Computer school. We used her Internet Café frequently last year. It was nice to meet up with her again, with a job that she is quite pleased with.
We then left for the Tobago Cays where we had no trouble anchoring, less boats there this year than last year. Sitting in the cockpit having dinner as the sky darkens and the stars and Milky Way make their appearance is positively one of the most wonderful moments a sailor can experience, and doing it in the Cays is truly magical. The deserted island that was used in the movie Pirates of the Caribbean is there and quite a few boats go out there for looks see. The Usual Suspects Guide to Boat Boys is quite appreciated! We carry a hard copy with us. It helps with sorting out how to “do business” with whom. Also, it is fun to identify each by name (it’s appreciated” and to give a big hello from Usual Suspects! (Many hellos back to you, Rob!)
After a couple of days in the Cays we motored over to Salt Whistle Bay on Mayreau, we had missed this anchorage last year and did want to take it in this year. The anchor firmly set after a couple of tries and the Bay filled up with boats. It is a wonderful anchorage but because it is so small, everyone gets quite close together, too close for our comfort. Many do not check their anchors and there was a wave coming through while we were there. We had drinks & dinner & drinks at the Salt Whistle Bay resort- highly recommended!
The next day we motored over to Saline Bay, this is Ieva & my preferred anchorage on Mayreau, great beach & snorkeling, restaurants nearby, and lots of room to anchor. After a couple of days we sailed up to Canouan to fill up with water and top up with diesel from the Moorings base. The day of our sail, it was raining, and we were moving quickly ahead of a thunder/lightning storm. We made it to the anchorage just before the storm broke. We stayed overnight on a mooring and had dinner & drinks at the Tamarind Resort. We experienced our first thunderstorm with lightning in the Caribbean; having a 60-foot metal stick onboard really makes you aware of lightning. We heard when we got back to St. Lucia that one of the Moorings crewed charters had been hit by lighting down in Mustique, fortunately no one was hurt but all the electronics on the boat were toast. Unless you have plenty of time and/or must, stopping in Canouan is not a priority in our opinion.
The next day we sailed back to Bequia to spend a couple of more days, had dinner at the Green Boley and Mac’s again. We just relaxed on the boat for the most part.
We then began our trip back up to St. Lucia: check out with customs at Bequia, even though we were planning to stop in St. Vincent. The officials were quite accommodating. The straight between Bequia and the island of St. Vincent was a very pleasant close reach. We then had to decide where along the west coast of St. Vincent we would stop for the night. We had heard about the aggressive antics of the beach boys at most of the anchorages and were a little worried about where to stop. We ended up spending the night at Wallilabou, generally because we wanted to see the movie set from Pirates of the Caribbean that remain there. On our arrival began a circus of boat boys trying to lead us to this mooring ball or that mooring ball, sell us trinkets, fruit or tours ashore. It was a real zoo! This set of boat boys is badly in need of training on how to treat yachties! Ieva and I, being near rookies at this, were intimidated by there antics. We ended up taking a mooring (free if you have dinner at the restaurant ashore) and as other boats came in we had to run a line ashore, because the mooring balls are so close together, this was also a new experience for us. There were 2 boat boys who did seem to know what they were doing (Joel & Marcus), and they were helping various boats run lines ashore, and generally seeing that the various boats were properly moored. (We later learned that Joel had worked for Moorings in St. Lucia, until he needed to return to his family on St. Vincent). If we ever have to use this anchorage again, the best thing to do is to politely tell all the boat boys that you do not need there services or wish to buy anything and moor by yourself and run a line a shore. But they still seem to hang around close to your boat. It is the first time I have ever felt that I was “prey”. We subsequently heard from the Moorings people back in St. Lucia that the better place to stop is Petit Byahaut. But then, you miss the natural set of a movie, plus the dinner and the rum punch were quite good at the hotel. (Especially the rum punch!!) All the boat boys have read Chris Doyle’s book – and call themselves: Ron/Rod/Roney – or, “Listen to me, I’m in the book” No one refers to themselves as Joel other than Joel.
The next morning, promptly at 6:15 (as arranged) Joel & Marcus came back and helped us retrieve (not something that could be accomplished by us, as the lines were tied way down below the water – not at the actual mooring ball) our mooring lines and we were off for sail up to the Pitons on St. Lucia. When we tried to raise our main sail we found the halyard wrapped around the deck & steaming lights, it took us about an hour of fiddling to get it loose. I had forgotten to tie down the main halyard the night before, which I had been doing previously! I also found out that on a charter boat it is impossible to undo the shackle holding the main halyard to the main sail, it was seized.
We eventually raised the main with a single reef, left the jib furled and motored up the coast of St. Vincent. The weather was foggy and drizzling As we approached the north end of St. Vincent with the weather clearing, Chris Doyle’s advice in his Sailors Guide to the Windwards proved correct: First we got a 4-6 foot swell, then the wind appeared, about 20 knots gusting to 25, then the swell got larger with waves on top about 15 feet in all. Spray coming over the bow, occasionally falling off a wave and banging down in the trough, our first experience with more exciting ocean sailing, if only for an hour or two. (Similar to being on a giant roller coaster!) As we got further north of St. Vincent the waves settled down, the wind became more consistent and we rolled out the jib a little bit and then let the whole jib out. We were on a close reach into the wind and waves. It was a great sail, plenty bumpy and we were going along at 7.5-8.5 knots. We actually hit 10 a couple of times on the GPS. This was definitely the best bit of sailing of our trip! Schools of spinning dolphins accompanied this part of our sail. They are obviously quite exhilarated with the swells.
We arrived at the Pitons and moored off Soufriere (again with boat boy assistance, even though we tried to negotiate not using their help), got in the dinghy and went in and cleared through customs, then came back to the boat and motored over to between the Pitons off the Hilton resort. While we were at the Pitons we noticed another boat with a Canadian flag and we stopped by to say hello and find out where they were from. They turned out to be 4 couples from Kelowna, B.C. and invited us onboard for a couple of beers and some story telling. After 2 days we sailed up to Rodney Bay and anchored off the Sandals Resort. We noticed the Barefoot charter boat Silk Pajamas anchored next to us and remembered the owners had written up a piece on the Usual Suspects website about putting a boat in charter.
We then dinghied in to the marina and were using the Internet Cafe and started chatting with a couple that turned out to be Terry and Kristin the owner’s of Silk Pajamas.
Friday, July 23, day we sailed down to Marigot Bay and turned in the boat at the Moorings Base. We truly did not want the journey to end.
Reflections
Ieva and I had a wonderful experience, better than last year. The experience of being alone (the 2 of us) on a sailboat on the ocean is wonderfully relaxing, busy, fulfilling and exciting for both of us. It also has the wonderful effect of enriching the relationship of a long (30 years) married couple. Perhaps this is the best thing!
We now know we are sailors and are beginning (in earnest) the look for a sailboat we can live on.
