Maximum Chill in St. Lucia!
April 15, 2009
Wednesday
Soufriere, St. Lucia (between the Pitons)
Well....hope everyone has their TAXES done!!!!! If not...it might be too late!! You'd think being out of the country would make it more difficult to be on time....but since you can do Federal online...ours are done! The State ones are hopefully at their destination....mailed from Castries, St. Lucia, last week!
Had another great sail from Martinique to Rodney Bay, St. Lucia, on Monday, April 6th.
We were kinda pinching into the wind, but could sail the whole way to the South end of Rodney Bay...then dropped sails and motored in to anchor. It was 
surprising to see all the resorts along the beach and, once again, the number of cruising boats anchored in the Bay! The Bay is protected from the wind and sea by a Fort and National Park on the North end. There is a huge Sandals resort here and people waterskiing and sailing and zooming by in motorboats all day long!! But....the nice thing is easy access to grocery stores, fruit delivered to your boat by the "flag man"
and hardware stores for, once again, supplying Bees Knees!
We were soooo happy to finally catch up with DIGNITY!!
They are friends that we met in St. Martin in December...and they sailed away with their family aboard after Christmas. We've been trying to catch them ever since.....in our slow cruiser way! So....we were graciously invited for pizza and drinks and much "talking" to catch up on everything! It was a great time and great to find out we'll probably see each other the rest of the way down the island chain. So....if you want to check out their blog to see them and occasionally our pictures.....go to aboarddignity.com/blog. Actually we think you'll see more pictures of us there than what we take!!!!
On Wednesday, the 8th, after the huge rain shower, we hopped in the dinghy, picked up Helen and Steve from DIGNITY and zoomed into the dinghy dock. We hopped on a local bus that took us to the capital city of St. Lucia, Castries, to go to the "largest fresh market in the Eastern Caribbean". Of course, I don't have many pictures of that day because it was raining off and on and my camera isn't waterproof! But....the locals wear the madras dresses and head scarves and sell the most wonderful fresh veges for great prices. We all were lured by a sweet woman calling to us to "come closer" to eat lunch at her little cafe just on the side of the market. We had lunch of huge rotis....vegetable or chicken, and of course I had the local beer, Piton. After lunch we walked around the town, walking thru huge shops of hardware and kitchen goods, clothes and just about anything else you could throw into a small space....and every store seemed to have the same merchandise. There seemed to be about three of these stores on every block! Alot of STUFF!
We also visited the local Catholic Church
that had a wooden roof that was over 100 years old with faded paintings, walls with stained glass in bright Caribbean colors and a very decorative altar! Most of the people in the Church were taking pictures!
The bus ride was one of the more serene bus rides we've taken on the islands.....no big hills or corners to zoom around! So...we made it home safely and somehow avoided most of the rain showers!
The following day we hiked to Fort Rodney on the North end of Rodney Bay.
It was just a short walk up the path and the hill to the top, but the views were beautiful.
There was a "pirate ship" coming in to the harbor and a local started shooting a canon at them (almost real!!)
.....then they hoisted the white surrender flag after two shots over the bow. We booed....wanting more action...but that was it!!
On Friday Jim and I made our trip to the grocery store and were ready to leave this busy harbor.
We sailed South to Anse LaRaye on Saturday....a real short trip. about 7nm...and anchored with only one other cruising boat in a little fishing village.
On Easter Sunday we decided to walk thru the little village of Anse LaRaye and visit a small waterfall just outside of town. We were met on the beach by a local that helped us pull our dinghy way up on the beach....then "for a little something" he'd watch our dinghy!! We gave him a little something and watched him walk down the beach....never to be seen again!!
The town was busy with people all over the streets and on the porches or sidewalks. Another local Rasta came along and started to give us a tour with a history of the town, encouraging us to come to the "party" that evening. We asked the way to the waterfall and he told us just to keep walking out of town to the South. So....off we went...on another adventure.
This time it wasn't so far and not so steep....plus the road was paved! We met another couple of guys that gave us great directions to the start of the path to the waterfall. We saw them again up the road washing their car near the river. The walk was nice and the waterfall, Bois de Nave, was pretty. 
Not as impressive as Victoria Falls or Sari Sari on Dominica, but very pretty and relaxing.
The walk home was the same path....once again many friendly people in the town as we walked through. When we got back to Bees Knees and were preparing to leave, we heard voices outside! There were four local boys hanging on to our dinghy....one had a pool noodle, one an inflatable ring, another had a piece of plywood and the other kid was now lying on the side of the dinghy! They were laughing and talking with us....trying to figure out what we were doing, getting introduced to "Scootie" our cockatiel
, asking if we had kids, then asking for cookies! We gave them a couple of cookies each then decided to get going. Jim offered to give them a ride on the dinghy as we were pulling up the anchor....so they all climbed into the dinghy and as we pulled up the anchor they rode along.....then jumped when Jim said "Jump!" They were all laughing and saying thanks for the ride and "see you next time!"
We pulled the jib out to sail South down the coast until we got to Canaries, St. Lucia....where the wind died and we motored the rest of the way in to Soufriere, St. Lucia. We really wanted to moor between the Pitons,
but it was full....so we joined DIGNITY and moored on the N end of the bay near the "bat cave".
The next morning Jim and Steve went in to the dock to try to find a tour guide to take us up Gros Piton....for a reasonable price. They weren't successful! They were asking too much....$500 US!!!!! for 4 of us!!!! So....sadly we thought we'd never get to hike the Pitons. But....shortly after that a three local boat boys came by and heard about our dilemma (everything you do is known!!) and they offered to take us, including the ride to the base of the mountain, for $200 US for all four of us....and we added a little more for the tip. Sooooooo GREAT!!
We were picked up about 30 minutes later at our boat....as we were rushing to get into their boat, one of the guys said...."Hey, Maximum Chill...take your time" Then we zoomed over to pick up DIGNITY and then zoomed to the beach to start our hike. Our tour guide was Marlon Travis Birdie and he brought along his dog
....never did have a name, so we named him Piton, or Piti!! When Jim and I hike.....we walk a bit, look around, take pictures, and enjoy the views. But we found that when you're with a tour guide.....you're on an agenda....to get to the top, have lunch...then come back down. No dilly dallying around!!!! So....it was a climb
....from sea level to 2691 feet! But the path was well laid out with handrails and some ladders as needed. So, not so tough, but faster than we normally go! We passed quite a few people on the way up...both going up and down...alot of local St. Lucians doing the hike....some for the first time! Our guide was great, did the hike barefooted with a bottle of water stuck in his back pocket! When we got to the top we stopped for lunch 
and shared our with Marlon and, of course, the little dog. After lunch there was an updraft of the clouds,
rising from below us and covering the view over the bay! It was amazing!! There was a second view from the top, overlooking the SE part of the island. 
We stopped there....then found that our "ride" was going to pick us up in 20 minutes at the bottom of the mountain!!! So....off we went, scurrying
down the mountain (Not sure what happened to the Maximum Chill aspect!)....alot easier going down, but alot harder on the ol' knees! But....luckily we made it all in one piece and were conveniently dropped off at our boats!
The funny thing.....we ran out of gas after they dropped off DIGNITY....and they had to hail another local boat to come by and pour gasoline into the boat we were on! It was no problem...they all work together! So...we made it back to Bees Knees safely! Only to find out that someone had taken gasoline out of our dinghy tank while we were gone! Our dinghy was locked alongside of our boat....and the can was locked in the dinghy....but they were able to pick up the tank and pour out the gas!! Live and learn!!!
Yesterday, Tuesday, the 14th, we decided to head South with DIGNITY, to make our way to the SE side of St. Lucia. DIGNITY left about 2 hours before we did and when we headed out we were seeing winds gusting to 28K, on the nose!! So, after about 20 minutes we decided to turn around and sail over 6K downwind back to the moorings between the Pitons.
We radioed DIGNITY and told them of our plans, but they were nearly at Laborie and decided to keep going. So, we'll meet up with them again soon.
When we arrived back to the mooring we were met by another "boat boy" who we'd seen earlier in the day. After we secured Bees Knees to the mooring ball, we invited Joel aboard, offered him a beer and talked for a bit. We arranged to have our laundry done....he negotiated a fair deal with us...and off he went with our two bags of laundry. After he left....the Marine Park guy came by....we arranged with him to have our scuba tanks refilled for the best price yet....$5 US each or 25EC.....and off he went with our tanks!!
Had a great night between the Pitons with a zillion stars up above and the Pitons hovering on either side!
This AM.....our laundry was delivered (cleaned, dried and folded) for 120EC or 30EC per load...about $11-12/load. Not a bad price for the islands.....plus delivery! The marine park man came by shortly afterward with our tanks! Now we just have to wait for the wind to calm down and we can head South again!! Maybe tomorrow or Friday. We're checked into the country, St. Lucia, until the 20th.
Bye for now!
Wednesday
Soufriere, St. Lucia (between the Pitons)
Well....hope everyone has their TAXES done!!!!! If not...it might be too late!! You'd think being out of the country would make it more difficult to be on time....but since you can do Federal online...ours are done! The State ones are hopefully at their destination....mailed from Castries, St. Lucia, last week!
Had another great sail from Martinique to Rodney Bay, St. Lucia, on Monday, April 6th.
We were kinda pinching into the wind, but could sail the whole way to the South end of Rodney Bay...then dropped sails and motored in to anchor. It was surprising to see all the resorts along the beach and, once again, the number of cruising boats anchored in the Bay! The Bay is protected from the wind and sea by a Fort and National Park on the North end. There is a huge Sandals resort here and people waterskiing and sailing and zooming by in motorboats all day long!! But....the nice thing is easy access to grocery stores, fruit delivered to your boat by the "flag man" and hardware stores for, once again, supplying Bees Knees!We were soooo happy to finally catch up with DIGNITY!!
They are friends that we met in St. Martin in December...and they sailed away with their family aboard after Christmas. We've been trying to catch them ever since.....in our slow cruiser way! So....we were graciously invited for pizza and drinks and much "talking" to catch up on everything! It was a great time and great to find out we'll probably see each other the rest of the way down the island chain. So....if you want to check out their blog to see them and occasionally our pictures.....go to aboarddignity.com/blog. Actually we think you'll see more pictures of us there than what we take!!!!On Wednesday, the 8th, after the huge rain shower, we hopped in the dinghy, picked up Helen and Steve from DIGNITY and zoomed into the dinghy dock. We hopped on a local bus that took us to the capital city of St. Lucia, Castries, to go to the "largest fresh market in the Eastern Caribbean". Of course, I don't have many pictures of that day because it was raining off and on and my camera isn't waterproof! But....the locals wear the madras dresses and head scarves and sell the most wonderful fresh veges for great prices. We all were lured by a sweet woman calling to us to "come closer" to eat lunch at her little cafe just on the side of the market. We had lunch of huge rotis....vegetable or chicken, and of course I had the local beer, Piton. After lunch we walked around the town, walking thru huge shops of hardware and kitchen goods, clothes and just about anything else you could throw into a small space....and every store seemed to have the same merchandise. There seemed to be about three of these stores on every block! Alot of STUFF!
We also visited the local Catholic Church
that had a wooden roof that was over 100 years old with faded paintings, walls with stained glass in bright Caribbean colors and a very decorative altar! Most of the people in the Church were taking pictures!The bus ride was one of the more serene bus rides we've taken on the islands.....no big hills or corners to zoom around! So...we made it home safely and somehow avoided most of the rain showers!
The following day we hiked to Fort Rodney on the North end of Rodney Bay.
It was just a short walk up the path and the hill to the top, but the views were beautiful. There was a "pirate ship" coming in to the harbor and a local started shooting a canon at them (almost real!!).....then they hoisted the white surrender flag after two shots over the bow. We booed....wanting more action...but that was it!!On Friday Jim and I made our trip to the grocery store and were ready to leave this busy harbor.
We sailed South to Anse LaRaye on Saturday....a real short trip. about 7nm...and anchored with only one other cruising boat in a little fishing village.
On Easter Sunday we decided to walk thru the little village of Anse LaRaye and visit a small waterfall just outside of town. We were met on the beach by a local that helped us pull our dinghy way up on the beach....then "for a little something" he'd watch our dinghy!! We gave him a little something and watched him walk down the beach....never to be seen again!! The town was busy with people all over the streets and on the porches or sidewalks. Another local Rasta came along and started to give us a tour with a history of the town, encouraging us to come to the "party" that evening. We asked the way to the waterfall and he told us just to keep walking out of town to the South. So....off we went...on another adventure.
This time it wasn't so far and not so steep....plus the road was paved! We met another couple of guys that gave us great directions to the start of the path to the waterfall. We saw them again up the road washing their car near the river. The walk was nice and the waterfall, Bois de Nave, was pretty. Not as impressive as Victoria Falls or Sari Sari on Dominica, but very pretty and relaxing. The walk home was the same path....once again many friendly people in the town as we walked through. When we got back to Bees Knees and were preparing to leave, we heard voices outside! There were four local boys hanging on to our dinghy....one had a pool noodle, one an inflatable ring, another had a piece of plywood and the other kid was now lying on the side of the dinghy! They were laughing and talking with us....trying to figure out what we were doing, getting introduced to "Scootie" our cockatiel
, asking if we had kids, then asking for cookies! We gave them a couple of cookies each then decided to get going. Jim offered to give them a ride on the dinghy as we were pulling up the anchor....so they all climbed into the dinghy and as we pulled up the anchor they rode along.....then jumped when Jim said "Jump!" They were all laughing and saying thanks for the ride and "see you next time!"We pulled the jib out to sail South down the coast until we got to Canaries, St. Lucia....where the wind died and we motored the rest of the way in to Soufriere, St. Lucia. We really wanted to moor between the Pitons,
but it was full....so we joined DIGNITY and moored on the N end of the bay near the "bat cave".The next morning Jim and Steve went in to the dock to try to find a tour guide to take us up Gros Piton....for a reasonable price. They weren't successful! They were asking too much....$500 US!!!!! for 4 of us!!!! So....sadly we thought we'd never get to hike the Pitons. But....shortly after that a three local boat boys came by and heard about our dilemma (everything you do is known!!) and they offered to take us, including the ride to the base of the mountain, for $200 US for all four of us....and we added a little more for the tip. Sooooooo GREAT!!
We were picked up about 30 minutes later at our boat....as we were rushing to get into their boat, one of the guys said...."Hey, Maximum Chill...take your time" Then we zoomed over to pick up DIGNITY and then zoomed to the beach to start our hike. Our tour guide was Marlon Travis Birdie and he brought along his dog
....never did have a name, so we named him Piton, or Piti!! When Jim and I hike.....we walk a bit, look around, take pictures, and enjoy the views. But we found that when you're with a tour guide.....you're on an agenda....to get to the top, have lunch...then come back down. No dilly dallying around!!!! So....it was a climb....from sea level to 2691 feet! But the path was well laid out with handrails and some ladders as needed. So, not so tough, but faster than we normally go! We passed quite a few people on the way up...both going up and down...alot of local St. Lucians doing the hike....some for the first time! Our guide was great, did the hike barefooted with a bottle of water stuck in his back pocket! When we got to the top we stopped for lunch and shared our with Marlon and, of course, the little dog. After lunch there was an updraft of the clouds, rising from below us and covering the view over the bay! It was amazing!! There was a second view from the top, overlooking the SE part of the island. We stopped there....then found that our "ride" was going to pick us up in 20 minutes at the bottom of the mountain!!! So....off we went, scurrying down the mountain (Not sure what happened to the Maximum Chill aspect!)....alot easier going down, but alot harder on the ol' knees! But....luckily we made it all in one piece and were conveniently dropped off at our boats!The funny thing.....we ran out of gas after they dropped off DIGNITY....and they had to hail another local boat to come by and pour gasoline into the boat we were on! It was no problem...they all work together! So...we made it back to Bees Knees safely! Only to find out that someone had taken gasoline out of our dinghy tank while we were gone! Our dinghy was locked alongside of our boat....and the can was locked in the dinghy....but they were able to pick up the tank and pour out the gas!! Live and learn!!!
Yesterday, Tuesday, the 14th, we decided to head South with DIGNITY, to make our way to the SE side of St. Lucia. DIGNITY left about 2 hours before we did and when we headed out we were seeing winds gusting to 28K, on the nose!! So, after about 20 minutes we decided to turn around and sail over 6K downwind back to the moorings between the Pitons.
We radioed DIGNITY and told them of our plans, but they were nearly at Laborie and decided to keep going. So, we'll meet up with them again soon.When we arrived back to the mooring we were met by another "boat boy" who we'd seen earlier in the day. After we secured Bees Knees to the mooring ball, we invited Joel aboard, offered him a beer and talked for a bit. We arranged to have our laundry done....he negotiated a fair deal with us...and off he went with our two bags of laundry. After he left....the Marine Park guy came by....we arranged with him to have our scuba tanks refilled for the best price yet....$5 US each or 25EC.....and off he went with our tanks!!
Had a great night between the Pitons with a zillion stars up above and the Pitons hovering on either side!
This AM.....our laundry was delivered (cleaned, dried and folded) for 120EC or 30EC per load...about $11-12/load. Not a bad price for the islands.....plus delivery! The marine park man came by shortly afterward with our tanks! Now we just have to wait for the wind to calm down and we can head South again!! Maybe tomorrow or Friday. We're checked into the country, St. Lucia, until the 20th.
Bye for now!
Thanks for letting us live vicariously! Doon't give it up. Land life stinks! Have fun for us too
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Hi guys - just reading your blog and loving it!!! Cheers - Joanna and Phillip (SV Delphinus, from Dominica)
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