Cleone has arrived in St Lucia.
Tantalisingly close, we have not yet finished our
circumnavigation. Paul had to go home on 24th March; we bade him a sad
farewell in Vieux Fort. A commercial port, its only merit was that it is a
Port of Entry, and very close to the Airport. Otherwise, you can forget
it; it has nothing to recommend it.
Passing by St Vincent along the windward shore, it
was clear that we were not going to be able to lay the Rhumb-Line to Vieux Fort,
so it took us more time than we had anticipated. Despite our six am start,
we did not get into Vieux Fort until four thirty in the afternoon. The
little fishing harbour was unwelcoming, so we made our way to the commercial
port, parking the dinghy by a convenient ladder at the root of the long
jetty. There were customs officers aplenty, but none were prepared to
help; go to the Airport they said. So we did - it was a longish walk to
the roundabout, then a fifteen dollar taxi, with the worst sounding gearbox and
differential and the baldest tyres that I have seen for some time. But
soon the formalities were over, and we were free to explore the town in search
of a farewell dinner. It was difficult, but finally we found some edible
pizza, and celebrated with a couple of beers and a variety of toppings.
But it was early to bed, to wake up to the sight of Gray Lady anchored serenely
in the middle of the bay. But we had no time for pleasantries; the Skipper
took Paul ashore and found time for a couple of beers before finding a slightly
less decrepit taxi to whisk him back to the ex-US Air Force Base, now the
International Airport, and off home.
Volker and the Skipper then high-tailed it for
Soufriere, one of the most beautiful anchorages anywhere. It's a little
spoiled now, but the World-Heritage Pitons still provide one of the most
dramatic back-drops for moorings that you could wish to find. These are
hotly contested for throughout the day, and we were lucky to find an empty one,
albeit near the town, which we were able to exchange early next morning.
The Skipper took himself back to SCUBA St Lucia at Anse Chastenet, where he and
his sons had spent a happy week after Christmas in 2005. He reported good
diving in poor visibility; apparently for one week at this time of year a lot of
vegetation arrives from some unknown spot. Bad for holidaying divers, it
nevertheless brings with it some good big fish, so it's popular with the
locals. Chantelle and Quasar V both arrived during the day, so it has been
a very pleasant stop-over, with an excellent (if expensive) dinner in a stunning
restaurant overlooking the bay. It was only marred by the Skipper leaving
his Camera and the keys to the dinghy in the restaurant; happily Judith from
Quasar V kindly retrieved them all. Well, we've done all
that, overseen the production of the day's batch of e-mails and here we are
at our final two night stop-over, in Marigot Bay to prepare for the Parade of
Sail and arrival back in Rodney Bay. We'll keep you posted.
Meanwhile, all is well with us, and very best
wishes to you all.
James, Paul and Volker