Meeting Miss Beryl

2024 Wikipedia By NASA/Matthew Dominick
 https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/studying-hurricane-beryl-from-space/
 Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=149984683

Living on an island, you learn to respect weather.  Not that we check forecasts every day, but it can be helpful to keep out of trouble.  Trouble though, sometimes finds YOU!  So here then, is our tale of Caribbean daring-do… 

In June 2024, after months of repair work on our sailboat, Windjammer 3 in Trinidad, we finally “splashed”.  Tropical waters under clear, blue skies beckoned.  Only days after setting the hook in Carriacou, we learned of a tropical system moving west towards us.  Time to pay closer attention then.  So, this is how we met Hurricane Beryl, up close and personal!  These are notes we took from weather reports as Miss Beryl progressed threateningly towards us.  

24-25 Jun 24.  Tyrell Bay, Carriacou.  A tropical system is moving west off the coast of Africa.  At anchor, we experience wild squalls and 53 km/h winds (a near gale) overnight.  Neighbours head into mangrove lagoons or boat yards for shelter.  Given the system’s track, our Cap’n decides north is best, rather than our pre-planned “Escape south to Trinidad.”  Very wise indeed!

26 Jun 24:  Bequia, SVG.  Atlantic system on the move.  Island-hugging, as we move north, lessens the impact of increasingly strong winds and choppy seas.

27 Jun 24: Rodney Bay, St Lucia.  Tropical storm on the way. Winds reach 65 km/h.  Locals seem non-plussed by this impending storm.

28-30 Jun 24: Rodney Bay Marina.  Record breaking hurricane coming!  St Lucia is gusty and overcast.  Moving into Rodney Bay’s sheltered lagoon, we refuel before taking a Marina berth.  After lashing WJ3 securely into her slip, canvas and sails are removed.  Hopefully, the lagoon’s narrow entrance will limit storm surge.  Preparations continued with re-stocking essential supplies.  Time to sit and wait.  We cling to a chance that Beryl wobbles south.  Every mile counts.

01 Jul 24:  Beryl (now Category 4) hits the Caribbean.  The eye passes over Carriacou, a mere 157 km away from us, at 220 km/h causing unbelievable damage.  Thankfully, St Lucia’s airport records 75 km/h, a strong gale.  Despite days of rain, flooding was minimal.  We were safe, this time!

Feeding off unseasonably warm waters, Beryl moved on, quickly intensifying into Category 5 with unimaginable 270 km/h winds.  Over two days, Beryl had strengthened into a major Hurricane; only 6 others have accomplished this record.  Spare a thought for Hurricane Hunters who fly through these beasts to collect meteorological data!  Days later, news and drone footage filtered out of unbelievable damage sustained by islands to our south.  

We remained in St Lucia for the remainder of 2024 Hurricane Season, making a decision not to haul out in Trinidad, but make a dash for Deltaville to a less exhilarating life on USA’s Chesapeake Bay.

In Search of Mythical Creatures

Puerto Rico's southern coast, seen from the safety of a wide channel

Next morning, we left Sun Bay escorted on our way by a small pod of dolphin.  We had a cloudy day but a beautiful, easy sail to Salinas, Puerto Rico.  We came onto the bank through the Boca de Infierno (don’t they have such eloquent names?), wondered about people walking over some of the surrounding reefs, and made our way through a barrier reef/island and mangrove swamp protected channel to an anchorage off Cayo Mata.  

A very calm and pleasant anchorage off Salinas. 
Manatees did not grace us with their presence this time...

These waters are mangrove fringed, murky and shallow.  Dotted with character boats (some are wrecks and it’s a miracle they still float), we squeezed in trying not to have WJ3’s bottom hanging too far into the channel, busy with local boats and jet skis.  We had hoped to catch sight of the elusive manatees (dugongs), with the Cap’n noticing maybe, a nose, a whisker and a splash as it quickly took cover.  No singing, so it couldn’t have been a selkie.  No wonder it fled really, as we looped round and round the bay like loonies, trying to release the main.  Yep, stuck in the mast, yet again.  Isn’t sailing such fun?  “At least,” said our trusty Cap’n, “I’m getting fitter.”  Great… 

Sunset & Cayo Mata behind WJ3

On a mission to keep moving, our next stop was Guánica, a pleasant anchorage we found on our way down last year.  A family, on their way home form a day at the beach, came over and invited us to their New Year’s celebrations.  The father worked part of the year in the Med, delivering newly constructed sailboats to new owners.  It was a lovely gesture from a fellow yachtsman, and certainly confirmed Puerto Rico as the friendliest Caribbean Island we had visited.  Midnight arrived, as did the New Year, and this tiny community exploded in a firework frenzy, all done locally at their own expense, with readily available fireworks.  No, nanny state stuff, just good old common sense, and parental guidance.

Rusting skeletons, like a Mad Max stage setting,
dot the mangrove foreshore in Guanica

(Selkies are mythical sea creatures that can transform into women by shedding their seal skin.  They are also said to have beautiful singing voices according to Scottish & Irish folklore. So perhaps it's a tad too warm for them here in Puerto Rico.)  

Head ‘em up, Move ‘em out

Dolphin escort out of Sun Bay

We had a very pleasant sail south to Vieques (vee-AYE-case) then turned west with the Trades behind us.  So, so much better than fighting into them!  Our plan was to anchor for the night and we wanted a protected cove on these southern shores.  We had at least Bruce Van Sant’s cruising guide (getting a bit outdated now) of this area so were able to cruise close enough to shore to avoid snagging fringing reefs or fish pots.  

One of the first signs that you are back in American waters is the regular VHF radio Channel 16 updates on weather conditions by the US Coast Guard.  How civilised it is to know that there is an organisation looking out for us boaters – big, small, motorised or sail.  On the way to Vieques we heard a “Pan-Pan” call for a person seen in the open waters some miles north of St Croix.  This brings home the often too casual approach boaties seem to take with their activities.

Vieques is a former firing rage used by the US and NATO for land, sea and air war games.  The Range has since been closed and developers held at bay, perhaps given the arduous task of cleaning up munitions.  This small island seems remote and isolated, yet lush with tropical green landscapes set against white sandy beaches and clear turquoise waters.  A community of locals has been described as proud and fiercely independent, as they should be, given their dedication in securing Vieques from the ravages of munitions and perhaps developers.  

We found an anchorage in Sun Bay, near to the fishing village of Esperanza.  A picturesque, coconut palm fringed beach (public at that – wow!) stretches in an expansive mile-long curve.  We had the company of two other friendly boats at anchor in this picture postcard bay.  Our only criticism was that someone had turned off the heater.  Our last swim had been in Marigot Bay when the Cap’n cleaned WJ3’s bottom, filthy after 3 weeks in the lagoon. GS jumped in then too, for a quick dip – the water then as now, was certainly no longer tropical!

View from our anchorage of a very small section of pretty Sun Bay

Just to our east are the famous bioluminescent bays of Vieques, Puerto Ferro and Puerto Mosquito.  They are strongly phosphorescent and best seen at night.  Steps have been taken to keep them in pristine condition, so no anchoring and certainly no diesel or petrol engines allowed in these mangrove-lined bays.  The Dive Shop at Esperanza organises tours or you can paddle in.  As we don’t carry a selection of water toys and had a prior experience of it - out fishing in Simpson Bay on a full moon evening back in 2008 - we didn’t linger to see it.  Mind you, it is a curious natural phenomenon, fascinating to see little firework displays exploding around your dinghy as they rise from darker deep water below.  So much to see and do.  Ah, if only the Motley Crew were on holiday...  

Saint Martin: Saint of Broken Boats

Sint Maarten's Bridge across the Lagoon dressed in Christmas Best

Somehow almost 3 weeks vanished.  Simpson Bay Lagoon must be the Caribbean’s answer to the comely bird-women whose charming voices lured ships and sailors to an untimely end.  We didn’t end up on a rocky shore but rather too easily filled the time doing routine chores like food shopping and laundry, including a challenge to spend well above our lifting limit in Island Water World.  And then, there were the inevitable boat repairs.  We found Mike the electrician again, to help with AIS and VHF radio stuff but compensated by making a special effort to dine regularly at Lal’s – for the best Indian curries & garlic naans this side of India.  We marvelled at the gathering crowd of superyachts, then commented on the challenges for them.  It must be de rigueur to have at least 3 bunny ears (satellite domes) in colours to match the hull and a crowd of staff (also dressed to match) to wash acres of windows and keep a stable of water toys in good working order.  Too much work…give me one cranky Cap’n any day!

Yes, we are really leaving Sint Maarten, for now...

Eventually, a suitable weather window opened for a comfortable ride across to the BVI.  We paid our dues, refuelled, and then make the 10.30am bridge lift to once again meet this season’s swell out in the real world.  Our plan was to anchor for the night on the French side in Marigot Bay, then at some ghastly early hour, up anchor and make for a daylight arrival at an anchorage off Prickly Pear Island.  Serious coral reefs lie off Virgin Gorda (the Fat Virgin – thank Columbus for that name!) and are best negotiated in daylight. 

We had some sun but a stiff breeze to traverse the BVI's

We didn’t linger in the BVI, though made a detour to take in the famous Foxies Soggy Dollar Bar on Jost Van Dyke, but didn’t stop.  Not only was a cruise ship anchored off, but the bay was cluttered with mooring balls, reputed to cost 30 to 40 USD per night.  Indeed, the BVI generally has tuned into mooring fields to accommodate growing numbers of charter fleets, mostly catamarans.  Cheap cruisers (like us) now need to search hard for suitable anchorages.

Made the anchorage in Culebra just on dark.  Luckily it wasn't busy!

Culebra, in the Spanish Virgins, and a favourite laid-back anchorage, was in our sights.  Thank goodness, it was true to form and we settled in for a few days to recover from our crossing of the 2300m deep Anegada Passage with it’s mean reputation.  Thankfully, it was a pussy cat for us – this time!

The gathering of the fleet for an after-caroling party. 
It was really nice to see some sun too

We arrived in Culebra’s Ensenada Honda on Christmas Day and were pleased to find it near deserted; just a handful of cruisers and a few local boats on moorings in a calm and well protected spot.  Mr Resident Turtle swam by so we took that as a sign of approval.  After a few days rest, we made (well, changed) plans.  Rather than take the more direct 4-day route from Culebra to Turks Caicos, we’d skim and day hop Vieques and Puerto Rico’s southern coastlines ending in a short stay in Puerto Real Marina with time perhaps to explore ashore (Walmart then old San Juan for GS and West Marine for the Cap’n).  The marina is on Puerto Rico’s west coast and, with easy access through the tricky Mona Passage, we could take a day off our sail plan to Turks Caicos.  That was the theory, anyway!

That settled, we prepped for an early morning departure.  Locals though, had other plans.  It was Sunday and we were woken very early (4.30am) to a rousing chorus of Christmas carols, Latino style, at a boat dock by the foreshore.  Eventually, GS went to find out what was the go!  The dock was filling with local craft all decked out with Christmas lights and decorations.  A party was well underway.  Jet skis buzzed about looking like floating slippers.  At 5.30am, with carols and the hum of boat engines ricocheting round the harbour, the fleet assembled in line and the Christmas Boat Parade took off for a very leisurely, if somewhat unsteady, round of the bay.  Not a neighbour or house seemed to miss out on a personal round of Feliz Navidad (Jose Feliciano from the 1970’s).  So simple, yet such an inspiring event full of neighbourly bonhomie.  

Culebra's 2mile deep harbour is well protected by surrounding reefs. 
Remind me.  Why are we leaving?

As we were now up early anyway, we up-anchored and headed off for Vieques with the sounds of Feliz Navidad ringing in our ears.

(Photos to follow, we are trying to share one working computer.  I knew we should have stopped at Walmart...)

Warmest of Caribbean Wishes

Here we are.  Well into our second week in Sint Maarten, thanks mostly to even more wily winds; today they are gusting, at worst over, 30kts.  Still, there could be worse places to be even though a few nights ago there was an attempted robbery aboard a nearby catamaran.  The lagoon is filling fast as it stretches to fit yet more superyachts.  Others too big to pass through Simpson Bay bridge, cluster in nearby Great Bay, rubbing shoulders with enormous cruise ships visiting Philipsburg, daily offloading passengers to duty-free shops and entertainments like the “pee-pee**” lagoon cruise. ; )  St Bart’s too, is awash with huge hot-water boats.  And NO, the Cap’n is not thinking of upgrading…  Too many things to go wrong!

Christmas is nearly upon us and we are not quite sure exactly where we will be; although it will at least be warm and at this stage, still in the lagoon.  It is hard to move with daily reports of snow storms in the northern US and rather icy temperatures, even in the Chesapeake.  Not encouraging for our ICW leg!  Our plan was not to skate along rivers of ice...  Despite that, we’re sure Santa will manage to find us as we keep jogging along.  He at least, knows just where to find our map & tracker…

Wishing you all the merriest of Christmases, a wonderful fireworks-filled start to the New Year and an opportunity to wave the flag, wave the tongs over a fabulous lamb BBQ and celebrate Australia Day. 

(**We're anchored near the lagoon cruise point where loud announcements are made regarding restroom breaks. "Time for a pee-pee break" in a lilting Caribbean accent!  It's a giggle, every time.)

Bless those Christmas Winds...

Blood Moon & a Jump Up - all a bit spooky in St Lucia

Our last night in Rodney Bay was celebrated toasting a spectacular rise of the Blood Moon and listening to the sizzling Caribbean vibes of the jump-up held every Friday night at Gros Islet.  Just far enough from our anchorage.  We had it all!  Wafts of BBQ (plenty of smoke & tantalizing aromas) all served up with a side of very loud soca & dancehall beats.  About 5.30-ish next morning, those still standing, go home.  So, having given St Lucia our best, it was time to point WJ3’s nose northwards towards Guadeloupe and the Windwards. 

We had especially good weather as we moved up the island chain but wondered if our luck would hold thereafter.  The easterlies met up out of Deshaies, on our first big crossing to Antigua.  We surfed into Falmouth Harbour and settled for an anchorage far from the madding crowd…  Falmouth is now kitted out for superyachts and elite racing; next door, English Harbour for charter boats (mostly catamarans now).  Facilities for simple cruisers are sparse.  Even our Cap’n (never the fashionista) remarked on the change!

HMS Diamond Rock, once dressed as a ship with sails and cannon

In 1804, Diamond Rock, Martinique, was dressed as a ship, manned by 20 English sailors with 4 cannon causing much damage to the French fleet.  It is said though, that the French easily evened the score and took the island back.  Simply by "wrecking" boats on shore laden with casks of rum. "Know your enemy!"

Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe.  The busiest port in the Caribbean
& an early start for our daily "Shipping News" watch! 

A complete rainbow arc to mark our leaving Deep Bay,
Antigua for the 83 mile sail to St Bart's.

The easterlies remained and GS “pilled” up for the next long leg to St Bart's then on to St Martin.  All went well as we find ourselves in Simpson Bay Lagoon (on the Dutch side) yet again.  Close enough to regularly access takeaways from all nations – Indian curries, Korean spicy soups and French pastries.  Will we ever leave?

Not just yet.  It seems that huge sweeping systems called “Christmas Winds” are now regularly belting across vast swathes of the US, the Bahamas, Turks Caicos and northern Caribbean islands.  Doing their worst by removing our favourable Trades with winds from the north.  Better sit this out...  Pass round those chocolate croissants before they go stale then!!

Photos to follow...baby steps as we're learning the ropes now with Starlink and a brand spanking new (much larger) inverter to power it.  

Mixin' with the really big boys (lots of them) in Simpson Bay Lagoon.
No swell, just chop.  Lots of sleek go-fast boats & jet skis with
too much engine power (and not enough brain power). 

Eating Humble Pie

Rodney Bay Marina (still), St Lucia

Dear Friends,

Specifically, those who have commented on our blogs and never been answered, we send to you our most humble apologies.  Having managed our blogs for some 17 years now, the Galley Slave/Blog Manager has only just stumbled upon the Comments section.  Here lie many missives, that until now, have mostly sat forlorn and unnoticed.  This apology also extends to you too Alexandra, one of our most loyal readers.  Oh dear!  

Our Galley Slave has just finished revitalising the now ageing blogs.  A perfect job indeed when on hurricane watch sitting in a marina for a few months.  Low season maintenance tasks!  We have six blogs to manage, with only two connected to our regularly accessed, email accounts.  These are the busiest blogs, although I hasten to add that none of them are appearing in any top ten popularity lists (just yet!).  That’s fine with us; we’re not in it for glory, money or bow-bunny pix.  We started our blogs as an easy way of keeping contact with family and friends as we moved about and to have journals to remind us, in our dotage, of “our wilful youth.”  They are also a way for us to participate in and share with our communities.  The Cap’n writes of his boat maintenance efforts and GS, her travel, textile and other arty stuff finds.  Our Cap’n is also a big fan of the Cruiser net community.  Many a problem has been thus solved.  

Thank you all for your efforts to engage us.  We shall endeavour to be more attentive and prompt in the future.  Always learning!  And a big thank you to everyone who reads and enjoys our adventures.

Saturday, 9th November, is nearly upon us.  WJ3's nose will then be pointed north, after a couple of days acclimating in Rodney Bay, to the hardship of wind, swell and waves.  We heard it was snowing in the US already... Just whose idea was this?  

Shellfish grow at an alarming rate in our sea-water plumbing

Hunter Moon over Rodney Bay

Rodney Bay Marina, St Lucia

Well, we just can’t seem to get those dock lines loosened from WJ3’s cleats right now!  Here in the Rodney Bay Marina, under the Hunter moon, we’re having a real-life “Hotel California” moment.  That involves watching the weather daily, with fingers crossed; hoping weather systems, still rocketing off the African coast, don’t develop into something nasty.  Unfortunately, USA’s south eastern states, particularly Florida, have been really copping it.  Also, we’ve heard little on how Grenada & St Vincent and the Grenadines are doing with their recovery from Beryl.  There’s not been much traffic passing through the marina since we’ve been here.  Everything takes time and life in this part of the world seems to have reached a low-season standstill.

Here in the North, this is known as the Hunter Moon.
Bright enough for the last night hunt before winter sets in.

November is thankfully, the last month of Hurricane season.  However, we are counting days down to the end of October and monitoring...  That said, there can be the odd December ’cane spin up.  So, if all settles down, our plan (which changes daily!!) is to make the leap north to Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe in mid-November.  Here, we’ll take a short break to catch our breath, seek out all those delicious French foods (and champagne), and once we’ve seen what’s predicted for Nov/Dec, begin the slow, slog north. 

Life in the marina has been a life of idyll – happy, peaceful, and simple.  We’ve kept ourselves busy doing stuff, as long as it’s mostly in air-conditioned comfort.  One of the joys of being dockside!  We have hardly ever made use of the aircon but it’s been a real blessing in this humid, tropical weather.  Lately, temperatures daily reach the low 30’s (in Celsius).  Meanwhile, the Cap’n has been researching and then fixing stuff – always a challenge.  His current task is to set up a new furling system for the spinnaker, designed to make life easier.  And of course, finally make use of that sail ordered in 2010!  As always, check his Hunter460 blog for our technical ups & downs.  The Galley Slave has soldiered on with refreshing the WJ3 blogs, doing some family history research and digging out the Walmart $70 special sewing machine to make up some quilt blocks.  With thanks to Mr Lozza who serviced it for her last year, it worked a treat!  Yeah!  Happy campers all round!!

Doing the weekly shop, without fail, attracts those on the hum.
This time though, GS wanted to enlist a new crew member!

Of course, October is anniversary month – married 45 yrs & sailing WJ3 17 years (2007 BVI purchase), so the Cap’n made a special effort in buying an expensive ring.  To celebrate his years of togetherness for the Other Woman, naturally!  GS will bide her time…  

WJ3's expensive custom new stainless ring
(for the furling spinnaker fitting)

Windjammer's Holiday

Innocent looking cumulus clouds just looking for some very warm Caribbean water to grow into something nasty!!

Here we sit, in an often bouncy lagoon (even though WJ3 is still very securely tied to our berth, D21), daily watching towering cumulus clouds drift overhead.  This means yet another tropical wave is gliding over us; some offering more kick than others.  The end of August approaches, and this season’s outlook is expected to heat up until November-ish.  Fortunately for us in the Windwards, Atlantic conditions have changed a wee bit and these waves, with little to feed off (to develop into tropical storms or worse, hurricanes), are mostly drifting north-west of us – a bit of a reprieve, for now! 

So, tucked up in our little berth, we are pretending we’re on holiday.  A white sandy beach on a green tropical island somewhere...  Oh, wait – we are!

Looking oh so innocent, but we all know that means trouble ahead!!

Now that our second month here in St Lucia draws to a close, we tell ourselves we really have put time to good use.  The Cap’n continues to update his Hunter 460 Blog.  Exciting reading if you’re into mechanical & electrical mayhem and the many other wild and wacky delights of ongoing sailboat maintenance!  He’s also spending time doing heaps of research to help solve all those incidents that might just crop up one day – as they often do.  At present, we are still at a loss to explain why the main sail continues to get stuck in our mast.  Is it a bid for freedom?  Or why the cabin roof continues to leak every time it rains.  It is the tropics and rain it often does.  All this angst despite a fortunes-worth of sealants squeezed into every possible nook & cranny.    

An early evening gathering of our quietest neighbours, roosting egrets?

Meanwhile, the Galley Slave has prepped-up a handy to-do list of boat chores for herself and will one day get round to thinking about doing them.  Her current area of domestic expertise is fishing out little squidgies that find themselves sucked up in through the bathroom salt water inlet pump.  Meanwhile, last year’s troublesome laptop has become this year’s troublesome laptop, so uploading photos for WJ3 and the H460 blogs may have to wait until the nearest Walmart.  Meanwhile, there’s always a basket of stitching or a book to read…

So stressed out we are not; the aircon is working beautifully!  We check the weather daily, have an escape plan in mind and intend to stay in St Lucia rather than back-track south.  Anyhoo, it’s been lovely chatting but it’s almost beer time.  And a chilly, blue can of Piton definitely has our name on it. 

Looking right (south) from our comfy seats in the cockpit. Can you find the egrets?

And looking left (north)...it's a big marina for sure and a long walk to the bathrooms.
We are at the top end of the island and its flattest part.

J’ouvert or Not to J’ouvert

We find ourselves in St Lucia for Carnival.  Wiser, much wiser, following our experiences in Grenada, we’ve listened to the goings-on and gatherings from afar.  (Well, from our marina berth, actually!)  The resort opposite has had rather lively fire dancers performing over the last couple of Saturday nights and there’s been some local bands playing loudly, outsde the marina compound.  Mr L approves the music.  He assured me they were playing the Banana Boat song last night!  Interestingly, there’s been no sightings of steel pans.  Mind you, the weather has been consistently inconsistent and tropical waves, bringing humidity, frequent showers and the odd storm, still regularly blow over us.  A real tropical experience.

We booked in to stay here for a month - a bit of a luxury with restaurants, a large grocery store, laundry, tap water and…electricity!  Also, the island boasts an international airport, so Mr Lozza can make his escape at the end of July.  The hurricane knocked out those airports south of us (not Trinidad) and we’re a bit wary of heading too far north until the end of the hurricane season.  So, here we sit, taking it easy.  

Sunset over Rodney Bay Marina (Photo by L.A.)

That’s not to say, there hasn’t been any repairs or maintenance to do.  We just get the chance to space those chores out, interspersed with dingy rides to Pidgeon Point (off Rodney Bay) for some snorkelling, a game of golf and dinners/breakfasts out.  The Cap’n managed, with help from the crew, to get the main sail out of the mast and leaks in the cabin have been located and sealed.  We are watertight again!  Now there’s just some canvas work to do.

The Cap'n trying hard on this beautiful green but it was Mr Lozza,
game, set & match!  (Evidence provided by Mr L.)

There’s also been time to do even more planning!  At last report, the Cap’n had booked us in to Power Boats, Trinidad for an early September haul then fly home.  Our latest thoughts though, are to stay in St Lucia for another month, then move south to anchor in Grenada for September & October (peak months).  If another Beryl blows by, we can make an easier run south for Trinidad from there.  

In November, we’ll start heading back up the Caribbean chain, through the Turks Caicos and Bahamas, making US landfall in about Jan 2025.  We’re aiming to start in Florida from West Palm Beach.  With Mr Lozza along for the ride, we’ll follow the ICW to the Chesapeake and our “home” base in Deltaville.  It will just be a wee bit chilly at this time of year.  Indeed, a similar, speedy trip to the one we did in 2018 returning from the Med.  This will be our 5th run of the Caribbean chain, so we’re not needing to stop except for bare necessities - fuel, food and water.  So, there you have it.  We’ll hopefully be home in March giving us a whole year to tend the garden, repair the house and best of all, spend time with family and friends.

Of course, this could all change tomorrow...  

June too soon… (Oh, sure!)

Always hoping to catch sight of the green flash as the sun goes down!! 
The view from our mooring in Grenada.

Firstly, and importantly, WJ3 Cap’n & both Crew are safe and sound in St Lucia.  We are nested in a web of mooring lines, secured to a very solid concrete marina berth, and surrounded by mangroves (and the odd water-front housing estate!).  Rodney Bay Marina is also on the far north of the island.  As luck would have it for us at least, Beryl wobbled south a bit leaving us to manage with just a few intense gusts and some rain.  Not so lucky for those islands south of us!

So, why are we here?  With June too soon and July stand by ringing in our ears, we set off for a cruise of the southern Windwards.  All in aid of a dive on Tobago Cays, a chance to visit more remote islands in the chain and some sunny, clean, calm anchorages.   Our rule of thumb however, was not to be further than 2 sailing days away from Trinidad.  That made Martinique, at a stretch, our northernmost limit. 

Having left Trinidad, we set course for Grenada, arriving after a brisk sail at the moorings off St Georges Harbour.  A vast marina, set up with visions of attracting flotillas of super yachts, now occupies a section of the harbour called the Frying Pan (due to its shape).  Still, the outer mooring area was fine and we were still able, without risking life or limb, to access a small supermarket deep in the Pan, to replenish supplies.

Our skitterish hitchhikers wouldn't pose for the Cap'n

Of course, halfway across to Grenada, we attracted some rather suspect hitchhikers and soon after were nearly collected by a determined freighter.  An eventful trip this time.

From Grenada, we moved on to Carriacou, anchoring in the protection of Tyrell Bay.  Here, we became aware of a couple of tropical waves (atmospheric depressions) moving across the Atlantic from Africa.  There was potential for them to develop into tropical storms so we decided to go further north, moving on to Bequia.  Bequia must be the quintessential Caribbean harbour.  Beautiful clear turquoise water, white sandy beaches, friendly locals and a neat, tidy town.  Except the two storms were growing larger!  So, the next morning we hot-footed it to St Lucia.  Yet another rocky ride in our progress north through the Windwards!

St Vincent - a garden island

Hatches, hatches crew!!  Downpour on the way...  St Vincent

At this point (28 June), it became apparent that we now had a sizeable hurricane on our heels.  Also, best advice was that Miss Beryl could wobble further south given conditions in the Caribbean.  An escape back to Trinidad therefore seemed unrealistic, so we decided to take our chances in St Lucia. With canvas and sails stripped down, everything strapped securely to the boat, provisioning complete and water tanks filled, here we are on Monday (1 Jul) crossing everything humanly possible and waiting our fate.  

At its closest, Beryl was about 112 miles (181 km) from us.  But she did wobble south.  The eye, with predicted maximum sustained winds near 130 mph (215 km/h) made a direct hit over Carriacou and tiny Petite Martinique wreaking havoc.  Barbados to the east, Grenada on its south flank and Bequia to its north, all fell into the line of fire too.  Our thoughts are with those whose lives have been so dramatically changed as a consequence.

Beryl is certainly a gal braking records!  She’s the earliest recorded in the season, quickly gained strength, intensified from a tropical depression to a Category 3 hurricane in 42 hours then became a Category 4 hurricane in 48 hours.  Now she’s heading for Jamaica as a Category 5!

(Back in 2010, Hurricane Earl (link) met us up in Maine.  We were only 90 miles away then and well hidden thanks to Maine's amazing landscape and robust trees!)

One very smart bird...

This great lump decided that WJ3 was the perfect observation post for spotting flying fish in our wake.  Its a breakfast of champions obviously.  Despite his webbed feet, he balanced very well indeed (better than us!!) and rode with us, standing lookout, for quite a distance.  Flying off as necessary, then coming back to wait in luxury.  Better than wasting energy flying!

Sargasso weed in great clumps off the coast of St Lucia. 
 It's at the point of being a small craft hazard in some places 

Checking Out

Just before our departure date, Mr Lozza managed to squeeze in a seat on Jesse’s famous Taste of Trini Tour.  We won’t cover it here, the Cap’n and GS are hoping for one when we return!  Needless to say, Mr L had a fun, very big day out.  All he could say on return was that he was “as full as a butcher’s pup” followed by something about cracking fleas on his tummy...  Just what he had been eating?  We did wonder!

Filling up with water at the TTSA dock before our departure

Checking out of Trinidad at Immigration & Customs. Bruce waiting patiently at the Crews Inn dinghy dock. View back to Powers & other busy Chaguaramas boatyards. 

Finally, the day came to drop our mooring.  We waved farewell to neighbour, Aussie Peter on his aluminium boat, Super Tramp.  He’s much more adventurous than us and was planning a trip down to the Falklands (as you do…).  Likewise, we said our goodbyes to Bruce on Wild Matilda and Big John on Swagman.  (No, they aren’t Aussies; we just declared them to be honorary ones!)  Then it was time to decamp to a mooring out off Powers.  We still need to purchase a few more essentials from Powers Market before making our way over to Trinidad Immigration and Customs Offices to complete our clearances.  This time, it went without a hitch.  

So “Hit the Road, Jack” and it was off to a serene Scotland Bay for a brief respite before our early (5am) departure for Grenada.  We were off and running, carried by a swift outgoing tide through the Bocas del Dragón over weaving currents and choppy seas.  But it really was good to finally be making a move.  WJ3 was clearly champing at the bit for a decent sail! 

Scotland Bay happily sits in a nature reserve and is pleasantly quiet, but
only on week days.  Notice teardrop birds nests hanging from this tree.

A peaceful side deep in Scotland Bay, Trinidad

Just Humming Along

Asa Wright Tour: 21 May 2024

Views back over Trinidad's northern ranges

We were also keen to join Jesse’s tour to the peaceful Asa Wright Bird Sanctuary.  The assigned date suited us.  Well, not for all actually; the Cap’n had a major date with his other woman and the travel lift. 

Mr Lozza and the Crew set off early with a bus full of avid bird lovers and hikers.  Were we in the wrong bus then?  Never!  Jesse entertained (that means quizzed!) us again with much interesting general knowledge gained along the way.  He rewarded us with a brief breakfast stop at a saheena stall.  It’s a pancake snack of callaloo (similar to cooked spinach) with a scant chickpea batter, and deep fried.  Rather delicious! 

Not long after, Jesse turned off the motorway and headed into tropical hills.  The road was narrow and the hillsides steep, winding our way higher into rainforest, all sprinkled throughout with fruits or vegetables seemingly randomly planted.  The WJ3 crew easily won the trivia contest naming various fruit & vege varieties growing along the way thanks to our exposure to such tropical delights at home!    

And a wonderful balcony to admire the views and hummingbirds

The Asa Wright Centre has been recently re-furbished with a great deal of care.  Once a coffee and cocoa plantation deep in the rain-forested northern range, it now offers 198 acres of nature reserve.  Mostly centred on serious bird-watching, it offers other pleasant diversions such as hiking trails and cooling rock pools to splash in and enjoy. Very reminiscent of the style of Malaysian highland guest houses. 

We started our day tour on the magnificent balcony sipping tropical punch whilst hummingbirds flitted nearby to take nectar.  Our guide, Caleb, then took us down a gentle trail to spot various birds.  Which we did, but next time we’ll buy the bird guide book before we go.  Even with GS’s best lens, it was difficult to spot and photograph some of these spectacular birds.  

After our hike in the humid forest, it was time to relax in the airconditioned dining room before tucking into a sumptuous lunch. (Oh, what the poor Cap’n was missing out on!).  Afterwards, Mr L & GS rested on the balcony (waiting for afternoon tea!) while the others went hiking and swimming.  With us, a couple of serious twitchers staying at the lodge, had camera equipment appropriate for the occasion.  GS was seriously envious!  Meanwhile, we had fun in this spectacular setting trying to capture stills of the rapidly moving wings of multi-coloured hummingbirds. 

A tropical treat for the eye in the gardens

We all had a relaxing day doing as we pleased; a chance to be out of the heat, explore the tropical rainforest and see some colourful bird life.  Next time we might just stay for a few days.  Only if the Budget Committee allows. 

(Photos of hummingbirds coming...the vids are rather too large!)