kitts to guadaloope

We    awoke before daylight and waiting for enough light to leave the illegal (for us)mooring.  Once free we headed SE for a close sailby the active volcano on Monsorant.  The mountain is still steaming even though the last eruption was 10 years ago we still had someawesome scenery.  

notice the village in the lower right corner

west side, I thought it was blowing from the top but actually the land is smoking it is so hot

southwest side shows some of the recent lava flow

my first vertical rainbow

closer than it looks

It is measured with a range finder, 27 yards to the rocks above water

We slid past it with no misshaps and on down to Guadalupe and thought we would anchor at Deshais Bay but changed our minds and decided to go farther south to bum Pigeon Cove, despite reservations about approaching nightfall and unknown anchorage.  It was full dark when we got there and the first to mooring balls we picked up were actually lobster traps so we decided to just do an overnight on down to Dominica.  On the way out of the bay, we spotted some reflections on mooring balls for dive boats at the Jacque castles international underwater park so we grabbed one for the night, again illegal.  The first one grabbed back and wrenched the boat hook out of Sally's hand almost breaking her arm.  The second try we made it, tied off securely and killed the engine.  The damn ball has us only 80 ft. from crashing into the rocks.  The waves were breaking on the rocks like a symphony orchestra which would usually lull us to sleep but 80 ft!  If the lines broke I could not get the engine started before being crushed on the rocks.  Remember this is pitch black dark.  We woke early to head out and the rocks were still right where  we left them, the water was crystal clear, could see the bottom clearly at 40 ft depth.

We motorsailed for a little while till the waves & wind clocked on our nose, then we just motored.  We passed Isle de Saints and vowed to not miss it on our return.  It is a  couple of small islands with a population of less than 4,000 residents

St Maarten

We had our normal rough motoring down to St. Maarten.  The island is divided between St. Maarten, the Dutch side and St. Martin, French.  I elected to sign in on the Dutch side and for the first time on this trip, had to relinquish my guns to customs until we depart.  The whole reason for choosing the dutch is I thought they would have more common sense.  The only part I got right was common, no sense at all   

While we were at anchor the bay was visited by Klingons but they had their space ship converted to a yacht and since it wasn't cloaked I got a pic.  

We dinghied over to the french side for pastries & walking, then dinghied to the dutch side for boat parts & stuff and failed to get on wi-fi, except at bars or restaurants.  

We are 300 yds from the yacht club and get to watch the kids practice 3 times a week in optis and lasars, was very interesting since one boy was 2 or 3 years younger than the rest in both years and experience.  He was dead last by 100 yards and he missed the marker, turned and went back four times to get around it correctly.  There was no one around to see what he did except Sally & me, but he did not cheat, so he is our favorite (I would have only made one pass & cheated).

my main man is on the left

When Cris said we had a good window to make it to St. Kitts we crossed under the bridge, called customs to bring our guns and anchored on the outside to wait.  I went in to check out with customs and immigration and they had opened the sealed box of weapons twice ruining the box for future use.  They explained they had to make sure my guns were what I said they were!  Little minds on little people with a little power makes for a volatile scenario so I just went back to the boat.  I’m sure if I had not taken the firing pins out before they took them I wouldn’t have any ammo left.

Cris lied,  we had our usual motoring into 6 - 8 waves with 15 to 20 knots wind on the nose.  

Charlestown on mooring

just another sunset

crossing & recrossing Sir Francis Drake Channel

The next morning we motored across Sir Francis Drake Channel, through four foot seas to Cooper Island Beach for more snorkeling and a great restaurant for dinner.

happy diners

And then came The Baths, a place I was sorta reluctantly dragged to cause I had no idea but I had taken a shower Saturday like always and this was only Thursday so I didn’t really want a bath yet!  Let me tell you, if you can get to the Caribbean do not miss The Baths, it is the most awesome rock formations of house size granite boulders that were tossed into unbelievable piles that you thread your way through to the most tranquil pools of crystal clear water imaginable.  They don’t even have towels or soap, so don’t worry!  

After climbing over, around and through the rocks we hiked up a narrow trail lined with all types of cactus.   It is after all, a desert island!  The trail ended on top of the hill about 500’ asl and offered the views we have become accustomed to.

home is where the heart is

looking forward to something to drink at the top

guardian of the baths

From there we motored back across Sir Francis Drake Channel in four foot seas to Marina Cay to grab a mooring ball and rest up.  They have wonderful views (as does everywhere) ice, water & fuel,we opted for ice & views and much needed rest except Dave had to change mooring balls during the night cause the wind shifted and he was too close to his neighbor.

On the way  to Limerick Bay across Drake channel (I’m beginning to get my fill of Sir Francis & his 6’ seas) once again, we stopped at a place called the dogs, several little rock islands with protected coves where you can snorkel.  The pics of snorkeling will be added later.

It was like being in a huge aquarium except no big fish.  Then we went on to Limerick Bay to a slip that gave Sally 3 days of air conditioning, she was a whole new woman.  We rented a car to get an extension from immigration and then came back & picked up Dave & Rene went to Spanishtown shopping and then went to the first copper mine in the caribbean.  It was built by the Indians and the Spanish took it and really operated it.  Now it is being run by goats.

sorta happy campers

taking in the grandeur 

ancient copper mine

mine operators, I count 6

guardians

our boat is just behind the bush on the left four slips down from the big white boat

Dave & Rene left and the next morning we pulled out to St Maarten.

Renee's happy dance leaving

Chris Parker, weather guru, said this was the best day to go in two weeks.  He was two days off.  We had our usual 4-6 ft waves 4-6 seconds apart and winds 20 its gusting to 34 direct on our nose.  It took 17 hours to motor across and one of the 10th waves threw me across the deck banging my head on a rail leaving a goose egg the size of a golf ball that lasted a week.  Sally was sure I had a contusion or aneurism but it was just sore.  

into the BVi's Cinnamon Bay

The islands are similar to the pictures I’ve seen about the San Juan’s in Canada, just very warm.  

Islands in the sun

When I walked into the immigration office the manager asked if I needed help so I said I really need a surgeon to remove the smile off my face for finally getting to the BVI’s.  It was like skipping rocks on a pond so he started putting his surgical gloves on and proceeded to remove the smile.  I was lying by omission but when they asked point blank if I had firearms on board I told the truth.  Then two hours later & a trip back to the boat to retrieve the guns they finally allowed me to enter with the guns in a customs sealed container.    They reminded me of the experience I had in DMV when I first moved back to Mississippi, that memory lasted 26 years, hope this doesn’t.  

When they finally let me go(they had my passport), we all went to Cane Garden Bay on the north side of Tortola for another gorgeous beach, at each one you think it just can’t get any better than this, and then it does.Rene talked Sally into trying her inflatable paddle board, she had as much fun falling as we did watching.

short lived success

just cooling off

 At Happy 3 hour,  Dave was a little bored with the great music and people enjoying their dinner so he asked for “Mustang Sally”.  Just about every woman that could walk (some that couldn’t & others that should't  got on the dance floor together and had a ball, from then on the place was not the same.  I think that is his job, transformations. 

The next morning the beach was lined with hundreds of beach chairs and colored umbrellas which confused me cause their wasn’t 50 people on the boats.  By 10 am every chair was occupied, jet skis zooming, paddle boards & kayaks everywhere.

they built it and guess what?

littlest mermaid (4 yrs old)

 
Cruise ship was in on the other side of the island and the tourists were trucked over in safaris.

  

Then we crossed the bay to Jost Van Dyke Island,  just past “Pull and be Damned Point”  (I gotta look up the history) into White Bay, where Soggy Dollar Bar is located so Sally could get a T-shirt, but they were out of her size so we just sat on the beach and people watched the rest of the day.  You just about have to get into the water coming in to shore hence the bar’s name.   It is just a pretty little beach with 4 or 6 bars/restaurants catering to tourists.  They arrive in all sorts of charter boats from small bar boat to huge crewed monster catamarans with more than 20 people aboard, all ready for wild partying, which they did. 

St John

On May 1, we left to join Dave and Rene at Cinnamon Bay in St. John for even better snorkeling and beaching.  It is a national park and has cabins and campsites for rent.  There is a small convenience store, restaurant, and small museum.  We saw deer, land crabs and tons of birds including a black hummingbird, which was faster than a speeding camera.

Alegria in Cinnamon

rental cabins

hobie to go

bird watching?

ole blue

just itching to get atcha

bambi

tacos

threading thru the islands

We got up to a beautiful flat sea morning and followed Dave & Rene over to West End, Tortola to check into the BVI’s. 

heading into West End to Customs 

some of the BVI's

just a little TLC and . . .