Jump-Up and visitors

On Friday night we took in the weekly Jump-Up in Gros Islet with John Fallon and John Sinclair. The music was loud and fairly obnoxious, the begging dogs were numerous and the food was so-so. Still, the people watching within an outrageously different culture was most intriguing, and the people were all very friendly. We're actually getting to know many of these characters! All in all we had a great time!

Yesterday, Diane (teacher from N.B) and her brother Paul came to the boat where we did a bit of snorkeling and of course, eating and drinking! Diane brought a gift of 3 boxes of Kraft Dinner – from one KD kid to another!! It was a relaxing Sunday afternoon with great company! Laurie and I were in bed by 8:00.


Today we’re not doing much of anything but will dinghy in at noon to see John, John from Stopp Knot, Krista and Bill from Secoudon, and Bill and Pam from Songbird for lunch. Roties (lightly curried chicken and potatoes in a wrap) are in store at the Bread Basket today!

Wifi problems solved

Robbyn and Tyle came to my rescue yesterday and provided me with a URL where I could download the driver (software) for the network device Robbyn had given me back in the late fall. I'm now up and running although the alpha gizmo doesn't seem quite as powerful as the enGenius device I managed to wreck! Thanks Robbyn and Tyle for the Tech Support!

Last night, we had a lovely meal with Diane Goodwin, her daughter Liz, her visiting brother Paul, and a new family friend - a local Lucian named Anthony. It's always nice to hear a teacher sounding off about her day at school when I doing other things unrelated to the teaching field! We got our laundry done while we dined...how nice!

On our way to Diane's, we passed a guy who looked familiar to us. He immediately said, "I know you! Oh my, is it Cat Tales?!" It turned out that it was Bill from the boat 'Songbird'. We met Bill and Pam up in Bermuda sometime towards the end of November just before we headed south. They had been sailing direct from the coast of the US to the BVI and were involved in a bit of bad weather. They had to head north to avoid the worst of it, however, their furling system for the main sail was totally wrecked and nearly cost Bill his life when he tried to secure the flailing thing out in the high seas. Consequently, they were stuck in Bermuda in much cooler weather until January 7th. We'll find their boat today and see if they're up for the Friday night Jump-up in Gros Islet. The two Johnnies have decided that they're going, so likely we will too.

Wifi Troubles

My enGenius wifi device has decided to take a hissy fit. The connection at the end of the device started to be a little wiggly over the past weeks and yesterday it became disconnected from the unit entirely and floated freely inside the gizmo. Laurie tried gluing it which didn’t work, so I sat and thought for a bit and decided that maybe a pair of vice grips would hold the connections together for a time. It worked for me yesterday and hopefully today I’ll get a wee bit more out of it, however, I need to get a plan B. These types of devices aren’t something you see in the local stores, but I have a similar gizmo onboard loaned to me by Robbyn Fallon. However, I’m missing the software to run it. You know, you know, the hell here never ends!

I can still check and send email through the Ham Radio, however, it’s a mess of wires (not much different from the present state of the enGenius!) and takes a bit of time. When I get a wifi connection, I can actually put pictures on the blog as well.

On another note, I thought you’d like to see our back yard at sunset. The green flash does exist and it’s even more visible with the use of binoculars!

We’re heading in to see John and John this afternoon as Laurie and John F. have a couple of books on the history of St. Lucia to trade.

Tonight, we have been invited to Diane Goodwin’s and her daughter Liz’ for dinner where she is entertaining her brother for the week. (If you remember, she’s the teacher from Fredericton who is doing a one year term here at the International Private School.) Apparently her brother Paul will be doing the cooking, how sweet is that?

The 2 Johnnies and Secoudon

John Sinclair arrived on schedule on Sunday to spend a couple weeks with John Fallon aboard Stopp Knot. He seemed very pleased to be free of shoveling and looking at the snow for some time! In the photo above, John Sinclair is on the left and John Fallon is on the right. John’s son Grant originally helped get Cat Tales to Canada from the Caribbean in 2002, and also did the recent run with us from Bermuda to the BVI’s. Like his dad, he’s great company and always welcome visitors!

We have finally connected with Kristen and Bill Nugent from Secoudon. They are from Saint John and sign in regularly to the Ham Radio Mississauga Maritime Net in the morning. Apparently they were in Flower’s Cove one year, several years ago, when we hosted many from the RKYC for a rib dinner at our cottage, However, they didn’t come in as they had others onboard and different plans. A couple years ago while sailing around St. Martin, we talked to them on the VHF radio, however, they were going north and we were heading south, so meeting them was not to be once again. The third time, we were in our dinghy in the lagoon in St. Martin and found their boat, but NOBODY was home. We left our card and left.

This week, who arrives in Rodney Bay, but Secoudon! We have enjoyed a few meals with them already and will play together for the next week or so.

Last night, the 2 Johnnies, John Sinclair and John Fallon entertained both the crews of Cat Tales and Secoudon on Stopp Knot for a delicious roast beef dinner. Beef is a bit of a rarity down here, so when someone packs it in with their luggage, we all enjoy it immensely!

visitors, and sinking boat update

Two weeks ago we were contacted by email by David and Pat Strang from Fredericton, who were taking a cruise up the Amazon, and their ship had stopped by St. Lucia. We corresponded with them and arranged for them to stop by on their return trip. They traveled by taxi from Castries yesterday, and, after showing them the highlights of Rodney Bay Marina, we came out to Cat Tales, anchored in the outer bay, for a nice afternoon.

It was a lovely event, with a nice lunch, swimming, and best: they shared their highlights of the cruise way up the Amazon to Manaus, a major and historical city in Brazil. Also, like everyone else who comes from the north, they shared pictures of snowy, bleak New Brunswick, to help anchor in our minds that we all are temporarily better off.

It was great to share time with friends from Fredericton.

We’ll be doing just that later on today, as John Sinclair arrived late last night from Fredericton to spend time on Stopp Knot. Dawn and I will meet the “Two Johnnies” at the little food court in the Rodney Bay Mall for lunch.

We’ve had some questions regarding the boat that recently sunk near the entrance to the lagoon. Dawn had reported that the sinking affair came to its ultimate conclusion just as I was scooting by to go into the Lagoon. I had stayed alongside the remaining mast, picking up floating materials that had removed themselves from the cockpit and deck. I had to throw some back in and swish them around, as they included some cockroaches hanging on for their lives. Well, at least the owner has solved that cockroach problem.  I was able to transfer these belongings to a local just shortly after who had some relationship with the owner.

The boat apparently is owned by a Frenchman, and was parked in its present location, close to the lagoon, awaiting motor repairs – meaning there likely wasn’t much juice for bilge pumps. The owner had solicited the assistance of a local Rastafarian-type to help keep an eye on his vessel. We had gone by the boat often, and there wasn’t much if anything going on with it. My theories are that the Rasta forgot to put the toilet lever in the right place last time, or that a hose clamp to a through-hull fitting finally rusted through, and it slowly filled up with water while being ignored. The rumour mill also has it that the owner, working or spending time in Castries, was contacted, and was rushing to get to the sinking boat. He, of course, was stopped by the police for speeding, in full view of the Marina breakfast establishment and local watering hole: the Bread Basket. He would have almost been in view of his poor yacht as well. Apparently, his boat wasn’t the only thing begging for attention, as he had unpaid tickets and delinquent registration. Screaming “…but my boat is sinking” might have worked if everything else was in order.

The rumour mill also suggests the owner has some serious substance issues, but who knows? If his stash was on the boat, it is likely still there, as the boat hasn’t received much attention beyond some coloured flags to help us avoid it.
Laurie

A special hello to Bryan Facey who took time to drop me a line from my work in District 18 in Fredericton. -- Dawn

Hiking, The Culture, John, Boat Boys and More Dental Work

We've been going ashore for hikes of late. We had been motivated by another couple of cruisers, who apparently have signed up to test LL Bean footwear products the hard way. They described an easy hike to the east coast, and we attempted to set out on it on this past Monday.

First attempt had us on the wrong road, and we had a long hot walk through the hilly, rural inland. We were happy that there was not much traffic, but nor was there much to see. We did see what must be the largest structure on the island, their massive cricket stadium. It is beautiful, and sits all alone and lonely in a valley, waiting between matches.

The second attempt got us on the correct but dusty road, and we made it to Cas en Bas, also known as Cotton Bay. It is a pretty bay, but ripe for development, with new roads all over the place. A nice lady has a long-standing beach bar, and asked us to sign a petition to help stop her eviction by the new developers. I signed, adding a note that it was illogical to carry out development that tends to suppress existing local entrepreneurs. However, once back among the local cruisers who tend to
make this area their constant winter home, we learned that the old girl had been offered a part in the new development and had turned this and subsequent offers down. She, like many, expects to be made quite rich, just for sitting on land others want to develop. Considering she only leases it, we no longer feel as much concern for her. It is like Bounty, the Dominican boat boy we reported on in 2005. He expects one day that a developer will give him a million for the 8' x 12' property he owns
on the beach in Prince Rupert Bay.

We also attempted a hike further to the north of the west side of the island. We didn't find too much to comment on. Like the other two hikes, we did see poverty, abused and neglected horses, goats, and dogs, outrageous construction, sewage in the ditches, and way too much litter. Dawn is concerned that I let this stuff get to me. I know this is a beautiful island, with mostly nice people. The resorts and gated communities are managed and worked by attractive, well groomed and courteous men
and women. People in stores and at work are also courteous. However, there is a seedy side. There are tremendous numbers of unemployed or barely employed men wandering around and "liming". These men are for the most part poorly educated, ignorant, and there is an awful lack of respect for the fairer sex. The litter is outrageous, and harassment sometimes seems like a hobby for them.

Dawn has her own issues, however. Once more, we are being annoyed by the not-so-young boys who insist on being paid to catch the line of our dinghy at the public dock and to watch it while we are away. Of course, the biggest risk to the dinghy is the buggers themselves. We have heard of one incident, where, after being told they wouldn't be paid to sit by the dinghies, they pissed in them. John Fallon, yesterday, paid two of these guys at a dock, specifically to avoid that! Within minutes, the
two were in the same food court as we were, spending his "tip", so he didn't get much "protection" for the money. Oh well, he didn't get the urine either. When we returned for our dinghy, one of the boys was lounging in one of the nicest dinghies and asked John if he could take his out for a spin. John told him not to get too pushy or he'd have to report him to the authorities. Last night on the VHF radio we heard someone calling for the police. His motor had been stolen from his dinghy. We're
not sure just where this took place, but I might guess the spot!

Speaking of John, he is doing very well. He is off the boat regularly, walking steadily and strongly to wherever his chores and his social life take him. Tomorrow, I think we've reported, his friend John Sinclair arrives, and soon his daughter and her significant other, Robbyn and Tyle, will also be here.

By the way, the tooth filling I had installed in Guadeloupe fell out Thursday night, during a gentle flossing. It was probably loosening up anyway. I was able to find a very lovely and capable dentist, Dr. Michelle. She and her assistant, with their gifted, educated, and small hands, were able to rebuild the side of my molar. She also told me that the amalgam is a poor substitute for the load bearing side of a molar, and that the remedy will be a proper cap, that will take the load to the root
without blowing out. Dr. Biskupski, our Canadian dentist, probably isn't reading this. Likely, we'll make the appointment with her before we get home. She is another gifted dentist with small hands.

A special hello to Kent Ross, VE9KAR, one of our crewmembers for the Atlantic crossing, who called me on the ham radio this morning. Glad to hear you're back in Fredericton and enjoying Michelle's company again.

Meeting with a fellow teacher from Fredericton

We found Diane Goodwin and her daughter here in St. Lucia after exchanging emails and wandering around Rodney Bay. Diane is on leave from her teaching assignment at Fredericton High School and is teaching at a private school. Liz, her daughter, is in grade 11 and is enjoying the new experience. They treated us to brunch on Sunday morning at their place while I took advantage of their washing machine and dryer. It was the first time we did laundry in a machine since being in Bermuda. We keep smelling our clothes and commenting on how nice they smell!

Here is a picture of where Diane and Liz live. They're up on the second floor of this building to the right. They can see Rodney Bay from their balcony out front on the other side.
After a lovely brunch of ham and cheese omelets, fresh fruit and tea, we took them out to Cat Tales where John Fallon caught up to us. We lifted the anchor and headed out of the bay for a couple of hours of sailing. At first we were going down wind so the trip was easy, relaxed and enjoyable. However, once we turned around, we were slamming into waves and generally giving them a small sample of what really goes on out there. Liz, who is taking sailing lessons, stated that she finally knows why her sailing instructors cancel lessons occasionally. She didn’t realize that “out there” the conditions get a fair bit more hectic than inside the sheltered bay.

All in all, it was a great day, and hopefully, we can get together again before we leave St. Lucia in April.

Liz did confirm something for us worth mentioning. Every time Laurie and I buy fruit and vegetables from ladies at the roadside stands on any of the islands, we have wondered why their prices are higher than in the grocery store. It just didn’t make sense how they could stay in business. Who would buy from them? We’ve paid as much as 5 euros for 3 large carrots (on a French Island) and soon realized that we couldn’t do that again! Laurie and I have had this discussion many times and could only assume that it is a local/foreigner issue. Liz told us that if she is traveling with St. Lucia-born classmates who want to buy something from the market ladies, then she as a white girl has to separate from them and rejoin them later on so they may get the “local” price (which is apparently 3 times lower than the “foreigner” price). She also told us that for her personal safety, she doesn’t travel on buses or walk without a “local” person in the group. Indeed, for reasonable respect, she and the local girls must travel with at least one male companion with the group. And also because she is in school here, she wears a uniform. She gets a bit of respect from wearing the uniform; however, because it is a “private school” uniform, other students from the public system may give her less respect.

John Fallon just called on the radio to inform us that his good friend John Sinclair will be arriving on Sunday. This will be fun!

Yesterday John’s boat “Stopp Knot” was launched late in the afternoon. Laurie and I were on hand the day before for the scheduled launch, but it didn’t take place. No problem however, as John was quite happy to be on land an extra day hooked up to shore power with showers just outside his door. John treated all the dockyard boys to a drink at the Boatyard Pub and then an extra one for us on his boat when it was all the hoop-la was finished.

This morning we woke up to John’s voice on the VHF radio requesting a slip in the lagoon from the Marina. Laurie and I are anchored outside the lagoon out in the big bay where the water is clear and swimming is a choice. John will eventually come out here but for now he’s having his refrigeration fixed, the 2 heads working and the engine working properly before he ventures out.

As soon as we heard John on the radio this morning, I planted a coffee in Laurie’s hand and sent him on his way to see how he could assist. That was at 8:00 this morning and at 2:00 pm, he’s still not back at the boat. I received a radio call from Clark, a friend of John’s letting me know that Laurie was scrubbing the deck of the boat and wouldn’t be back out here until later this afternoon. Now, you have to know that when we’re in John’s presence, we call the 2 of them Oscar and Felix. No need to say more! We’re taking dinner to John’s boat this evening where we’ll entertain a couple of his friends. I expect the boat to be in shipshape by then.

This morning we also heard on the radio a distress call from someone here in the bay telling the coast guard that a boat was sinking just outside the channel to the lagoon and that it was almost out of site. We quickly looked through the binoculars and what a horrible sight. It would appear that the owners of the boat were not around; perhaps enjoying a leisurely breakfast at the Bread Basket, or shopping for groceries. So far, nothing has been done and you can only see the mast sticking out of the water along with his fenders. They were tied to the back of the boat at the time of sinking. I remember Ken Ward back home telling us that the most common way for people to lose their boats is to have the sea cocks leak or the head malfunction leaving the boat taking on serious amounts of water very quickly. Maybe Laurie will have more information on the situation when he comes back from the lagoon later on.

I’ve enjoyed my morning all alone; reading, making dinner for tonight, putting together a batch of hummus – all the time listening to MY music at a nice volume!

There is a boat identical to ours anchored right next to ours today. Laurie was pretty excited when we saw it sitting here last night when we got back from John’s boat. I spoke briefly with them this morning and found out that although they’re Canadian, they speak little English and have a baby about a month old. We may not get together afterall…

All for now, still sitting in the same spot at Rodney Bay, St. Lucia.

Cat Tale hats from the Jeffreys

Ron and Judy have just emailed us to let us know that they have safely made it back to the cold north in time for work today! Apparently they are missing one piece of luggage, but then it's probably all laundry so who will miss that?

When Lorna and Brian were down they brought us special Cat Tale hats. Please check them out. The front has a stylised Cat Tales with a profile of two cat tails under it.


Ron and Judy and Laurie and I are modeling the hats in this photo. I really appreciate what is written on the back of mine! From left to right: crew, crew, admiral, captain.

John Fallon has arrived!

John Fallon arrived back in St. Lucia on Tuesday evening after 2 good flights from Canada to here. After landing here in early December and experiencing some health issues requiring surgery in Castries, he had flown home with the assistance of his daughter Robbyn. He has recently received clearance from his doctors at home in Saint John to make a return trip down here!

John owns a 48 foot sailboat, Stopp Knot which will be “splashed” (put into the water) early next week. (In Island Time, that means more than likely near the end of the week.)

Laurie and I have enjoyed many Caribbean vacations aboard Stopp Knot over the years on a variety of Islands including the BVI’s, and Grenada. John was our guardian on our voyage from NB down to the Caribbean this past year and every step of the way down and back in 2004 to 2006. Laurie spoke with him every day providing John with our exact position as well as the welfare of the crew. We owe John a great deal and we’re very pleased that he’s healthy and back where he belongs, here in the south playing with us!

John is a well-known character down here. He was received with a welcoming party at the boatyard Tuesday evening, and with many hugs, and much affection, at the marina yesterday morning when he made his appearance there mid-morning.

Last night, he joined us for a sun-downer, to our great enjoyment.

Up the Coastline to the Canaries and Marigot Bay

On Monday we left the bay between the Pitons and made our way up the coast to the Canaries and tied up to a lone mooring ball. The snorkeling here was even better than the other two sites. We found a scorpion fish (a first for the Corbetts) hiding on the bottom, camouflaged to match the surrounding green stones. He was very ugly, yet magnificent. The other incredible sighting was two large squid with fluttering skirts who were oblivious to us drifting up above as watched intently. They were doing a mating dance with a fertilizing tentacle followed by the depositing of the eggs into the coral shelf. This process was repeated several times and was still going on when we finally left them. It was truly an awesome thing to witness; it felt like something right out of National Geographic. The coral was gorgeous too and of course the water was crystal clear, aqua-green blue in color! Our rum punch sundowner was enjoyed while watching a spectacular sunset that lit the whole sky into a fiery pink.

On Tuesday we hoisted sail for Marigot Bay arriving shortly before noon. We were tied to a mooring ball offered by a boatboy for 80 ECs for the night but Dawn dickered him down to 65 ECs and it was well worth it to moor in this beautiful bay (hurricane hole that is protected pretty well on all sides.) Cat Tales was nestled in nicely next to the mangrove trees. After lunch, the boys stayed on boat while Dawn and I took the garbage and went on shore to fine Robert and Liz Glenwright who were staying at the 'Inn on the Bay'. We had received an email from Liz 2 days earlier telling us they were in Marigot Bay. On our climb up the hill, we met an older woman upset by the road construction right outside her house. We introduced ourselves and found out she was Mama Sheila (oldest and longest living resident in the community - 71 years old). It is the same Mama Sheila, referenced in the Chris Doyle Cruising guide, a guide used by all Caribbean yachters, and we were honored to have met her. She gave us directions to the local grocery store that was at least 2kms away - all up hill both ways in 30+ heat. Dawn and I were wondering just how we were ever going to make it back to the boat with our purchases, when in came Mama Sheila who offered us a ride back to the dock. I hugged her, called her an angel and we gladly accepted. Before taking the provisions back to the boat, Dawn and I hit happy hour at the Chateau Mygo bar where we had reservations for supper that evening. Later on at dinner, just by chance, Robert and Liz came to the same restaurant. We had a great meal, live entertainment with music and dancing. Met the owner, Doreen who happened to be Mama Sheila's niece and Michael, the sushi bar chef who was quite the dancer. Most definitely, a good time was had by all.

Today we picked up Liz and Robert and sailed them up to Rodney Bay. We had a good stiff breeze and we think that the trip was just the proper length for someone without sea legs! After arriving at Rodney Bay, we all swam to the beach and ran our toes through the beautiful hot white sand. Laurie took them into the marina where they were to wander around and catch a bus back to Marigot Bay.

Tour of Soufriere

Judy here:
We are so happy to be here in this beautiful paradise. The first day was relaxing
and slow as we caught our breath from the long travel down. Yesterday, we went on a tour of the highlights around the town of Soufriere. Dawn’s favorite boatboy, Shane picked Ron and I up at 9:00 and left us with a local driver, Finbar who took us first to the world’s only ‘drive-in volcano’. We walked in and around the mouth of the volcano which last erupted in the 1700s. As you can see from the photo, the volcanic crater is still steaming. In fact, we saw the black lava bubbling and on full moons, we were told by our guide Angel, that the lava shoots up 10 meters high in the air like a fountain.

From the active volcano, we went to the Ladera Luxury Resort for a cool local fruit drink from the restaurant where we absorbed the panoramic view between the Pitons. (Today we are anchored in this very bay!) This resort was rated the best in the Caribbean a few years ago and we could easily see why. The open-air guest rooms each had private swimming pools that overlook the breath-taking scenery shown here in the pic we took from the Dasheene restaurant terrace. On our way out, we met the chef and a couple from the resort who just got back from the Saturday morning market with baskets full of local fruits and veggies for a private cooking class. We were invited to join them, if we had been ‘real’ guests.

The next place was the hot springs bath where we were the first visitors of the day and basically had the place to ourselves. Then off to the botanical gardens which were spectacular.

Our final stop was to enjoy a traditional grilled fish meal at a local favorite restaurant, Fedo. It was a delicious local creole meal with christophene, green banana plantain, fried banana, white yam and other ground provisions. Back to the boat by mid afternoon, in time to join Dawn on another excursion to the grocery store and local bakery. Walking around the village with some of the imbalanced locals is an experience in itself and shouldn’t be done alone or in the dark!

…another beautiful day in paradise.