SABA and ST NEVIS: March 22nd-3st

A week ago we said our goodbyes and sailed across to Virgin Gorda, checked out of Spanish town then sailed around the point to Mosquito Island and anchored for the night. Next morning we filled up with diesel at Leverick Bay. The wind freshened to 25+ knots so we decided to stay in North Sound. We set off early the next day hoping to set course for Antigua but the wind was on the nose and we had to sail a very tight reach; to make matters worse there was a 2 metre swell and lumpy seas. I must admit, it got the better of me and I was seasick. Dave was also off colour. So by evening we had had enough and as we were being blown toward Saba a tiny volcanic island in the middle of nowhere and until the 50’s almost inaccessible, we decided to have a go at anchoring in the dark. Northstar was very good and guided us in past Diamond Rock and the Pinnacles.  I went up the bow and got a bit of a shock when suddenly I saw boulders and waves breaking on the shore. We did a quick turn around and motored back to where I had seen a mooring buoy and much to my amazement managed to pick it up first time ( not bad as it was dark). Next morning we woke to find ourselves moored in Wells Bay under towering sleep cliffs near the old landing place where in the old days the locals had to climb 800 zigzagging steps hauling up  cargo (including things like pianos).

Saba Island

 The only road from  on the coast up to the two main towns Bottom and Windwardside  was completed in 1958 and was built completely by hand.  We had to go in the dinghy to Fort Bay 2nm along the coast to check in. We then hitched a ride up the steep hill to Bottom which was a remarkable little town of white weatherboard buildings with brightly coloured shutters, ornate carved wooden verandas, red roofs and lovely  gardens full of bougainvillea, hibiscus and flowering tropical plants.

 After an ice coffee and a toasted pastrami roll we headed uphill to the other side of the island on the old road now a walking track ; the views were stunning and so was the tropical rain forest. We enjoyed exploring Windwardside,  its interesting galleries and lovely old colonial architecture before hitching back down to the coast. We were very relieved to see Makoko waiting for us in the exposed anchorage. After a rolly polly night we decided to set sail again but were very pleased we had got blown to Saba as most of the time it is impossible to anchor there because of the swell. The island was an unique experience and so different from the others we have visited; it is untouristy and quaint and all development is strictly controlled to fit in with the cultural landscape.

hand and  There are 1,5000 inhabitants mostly of Dutch, Scottish and English descent along with a few Africans that came as slaves.

Unfortunately the wind gods were not with us, so we had to rethink and decided to head for St Nevis 40nm away; it was again a very tight reach and as again we were blown of course we had to motor the last 15nm. We arrived late afternoon and anchored at Pinneys’ Beach near  Charlestown the capital.

 As there was no mooring facility at Charlestown we had to take the dinghy and motor 2nm to check in. As I was getting climbing onto the pier somehow  the dinghy went out from under me and the next moment I was valiantly clinging to the wooden pier but unfortunately lacked Tarzan’s skills and  fell into the water.  I got a few abrasions and bruises but mostly hurt pride! Dave would not take me back to get changed so much to the delight and amusement of the locals I stripped off to my underwear(luckily not too revealing) hung my shorts, t-shirt and belt out to dry and laid down on the jetty and had a sunbake and sleep while Dave went off to check in. As always it was a palaver of form filling; first customs, then the police, treasury to pay up ($80 in total) then back to customs to get the papers stamped; the whole process took 2 hours. To recover from the ordeal we decided to leave sightseeing til the next day and headed to Sunshine’s, a typical Caribbean beach bar for a rum punch and barbecue dinner. 

Most of the inhabitants of Nevis are descendants of ex slaves who worked on the now defunct sugar plantations. We caught a local bus to Gingerland and wandered around some of the old plantation estates now up market tourist complexes. Golden Rock in the foothills of Mt Nevis was our lunch stop.  We sat on the terrace outside the old stone storage cellars and enjoyed hearty lobster sandwiches and magnificent views out to sea.

 Nestled amongst exotic tropical gardens were  brightly painted weatherboard workers cottages now colonial accommodation. Glenys the manager drew us a map so we could walk the old road back to Charlestown.  The first part of the walk was in rain forest then we unexpectedly found ourselves wandering through some pretty poor villages of shack housing with colourful bars and shed shops attached.

 Then suddenly as we reached the southern side of the island we were surrounded by palatial houses set in acres of landscaped gardens, enclosed with barb wire fences and barking dogs. How the other half live!

 We got back to our dinghy late afternoon after a fun day to discover that some B……… had stolen the oars.  Sod’s law as I am writing this poor old Dave is working on the dinghy engine; this afternoon as we set off into town  the motor just stopped and would not start; luckily we drifted on to a buoy which we tied onto; Dave managed to get it going and we went a few hundred metres when it died again. This time there were no buoys to grab and we were slowly drifting out to sea when the police boat going past responded to my frantic waves and came and towed us back to Makoko. I am trying to keep Dave smiling but it is pretty hard at the moment as soon we just get one problem solved another arises to test his skill and patience.  There must be some good times around the corner.

March 10th-18th a wonderful week spent exploring and sailing around the British Virgin Islands 

Trellis Bay with Makoko moored in the background

We have just returned to Trellis Bay after a week enjoying what we came to the Caribbean for; sunny weather, warm azure blue water, great snorkelling, sandy beaches fringed with palm trees, colourful beach bars playing reggae music. It was great to have time to rest and relax after a hectic week sorting and fixing things after the big crossing.

The British Virgin Islands is an archipelago of 60 plus islands of which 21 are uninhabited with a total population of around 28,000. Of course this would double with tourists and yacht charterers. The BVI’s are very popular as a charter destination as the islands provide sheltered sailing waters and lots of beautiful anchorages

Feather coral (blue, purple, green and yellow)

We have just returned to Trellis Bay after a week enjoying what we came to the Caribbean for; sunny weather, warm azure blue water, great snorkelling, sandy beaches fringed with palm trees, colourful beach bars playing reggae music. It was great to have time to rest and relax after a hectic week sorting and fixing things after the big crossing.

The British Virgin Islands is an archipelago of 60 plus islands of which 21 are uninhabited with a total population of around 28,000. Of course this would double with tourists and yacht charterers. The BVI’s are very popular as a charter destination as the islands provide sheltered sailing waters and lots of beautiful anchorages.

From Tortola we headed to north to North Sound in Virgin Gorda. We sailed past Necker, Richard Branson’s Island surrounded by reefs. We were dismayed to watch a charter boat that went too close and ran aground on a coral reef; the 4 crew had to swim across the reef to a rescue boat. The yacht was pulled off the reef a few hours later. We anchored near Mosquito Island recently bought by Branson to build an eco resort and luxury villa development.  Even though there were signs saying visitors prohibited due to building excavations we went ashore and walked around the coast to an idyllic tropical beach where I found some beautiful conch shells. 

Micheal  Bean a friend of Tinks entertaining us with his pirate act

Dave, Glenys and John enjoying a conch shell blowing competition

After 3 days in North Sound we headed south to Peter Island where we enjoyed some great snorkelling particularly around  Indian Rocks where sheer rock cliffs plunged into the sea.

How the super rich cruise: fortunately jet skies are banned in the BVI's

We whiled away the days happily swimming, snorkelling reading and sleeping and enjoying sun downers in the cockpit in calm anchorages as the winds had finally died down.

Dave doing a big duck dive

Sea cave full of fish and brightly coloured coral

Having a rest inside a sea cave

A lion fish toxic to humans, fish and coral: a newly arrived pest from the Pacific

A pleasant day sail took us around the bottom of Tortola and across to Sandy Cay a beautiful tropical coral island near Jost Van Dyke. We negotiated the reef and went ashore to explore the island and enjoy a swim in the azure blue water

At Norman island we anchored in Kelly’s cove along with numerous charter boats mainly catamarans. We dinghied across the bay to some sea caves where the colourful coral and fish were quite amazing

Cynthia in her bar

  Late afternoon we sailed across to Little Harbour where we were met by the flamboyant Cynthia offering us a free buoy if we ate at her restaurant. Needless to say it was a too good an offer and her restaurant Harris Place was right on the beach; the camaraderie, atmosphere and food made it a very memorable occasion. Cynthia’s father had been murdered when the son of the competing restaurant next door shot him with a spear gun when they were arguing over cray pot rights!

Harris Place beach bar and restaurant

Next morning Dave and I decided to climb the mountain behind the bay as we were told the views were stunning. We ended up doing a 2 hour marathon running and walking 15 kms. Dave was quite impressed that I made it!

To recuperate John sailed Makoko across to Brewers Bay on Tortola which is Tinks favourite place.  Steep hillsides dotted with colourful houses nestled in the tropical rain forest; the water was sparking and the feather coral and schools of blue fish most spectacular. An idyllic place to spend our last night before returning to Tortola.

ST Martin, Anguilla and the British Virgin Islands

It was quite an amazing feeling to put your feet on land again after 16 days at sea; surprisingly I didn’t feel as wobbly as I thought I would. We celebrated our arrival at the St Martin yacht club with a few beers and a big steak! We all collapsed into bed at 8 o’clock and slept for 12 hours. The bridge into the huge lagoon behind Simpsons Bay opened 3 times a day and  costs 60 euros to take your boat in and out. The lagoon is full of posh marinas and huge fancy super yachts and power boats. Makoko wasn’t quite in the class so we decided to stay outside on anchor with the other cruising yachts and put up with the rolly polly motion.  We dinghied in and out to shop and sight see. The island which is half Dutch, half French is supposed to be the St Tropez of the Caribbean but frankly there is no comparison.

John blowing up the dinghy after 16 days on the deck

The bridge from Simpsons Bay  into the lagoon opened 3
times a day and cost 60 euros !

George guiding us into the Simpson Bay lagoon

Super yachts at Simpsons Bay Marina

Taking provisions out to Makoko moored out in Simpsons Bay

Phillipsburgh on St Martin

For me the only highlight was a trip across the lagoon to Marigot the capital of the French side. It was great to sit and relax in a French café and enjoy real  croissants and expresso coffee.

The view from St Louis Fort across to Marigot

George and Dave enjoying a beer at Marigot

Marigot capital of the French part of St Martin

Four days was enough however before we left we had to see Atkiki the raft made of plastic bottles that Tinks husband Dave had sailed with 3 other men across the Atlantic; the skipper was 85 years old and it took them 60 days to get to  St Martin.
We all yearned for some real Caribbean beach style relaxation.  We had a great afternoon sail 2 to Anguilla where we anchored in Road Bay which had a beautiful long sandy beach fringed with palm trees and little wooden bars and restaurants. That evening we tied up our dinghy beside a fishing boat that had just come ub with a huge catch of conch shells; we dined in a restaurant on the beach and tried the local speciality conch soup which was delicious.

Conch shell meat 

 The next morning we all went ashore to exercise and relax.relaxed on the beach. I went for a run, then  cooled off in the azure blue water; this was followed by a  long awaited yoga workout under a palm tree on the beach

Road Town Bay Anguilla

Marigot Market

We were all sad to leave this beautiful island but we We were sad to have to leave this beautiful Island but we had to move on to the British Virgin Islands where George was leaving us to go back to Tassie. It was 72 nm so we left at 5am and arrived at 5pm. We arrived at Virgin Gorda late afternoon and anchored in a bay near the capital Spanish Town a small sprawling metropolis nestled around the yacht harbour and marina

Next morning Dad went to check in and it took  2 hours with multiple form filling. To recover we motored across  to a national park called the Baths, a beautiful little bay with huge boulders reminiscent of Coles Bay. George, John  and I swam to shore while Dave brought the dinghy in as it was a bit too far for me to swim back to the boat. Between the boulders were passageways that led to caves and ponds which were quite spectacular.
Late afternoon we set sail for Tortola 5nm away
 Dave's cousin who works as a charter skipper for an rich American  came out in the RIB to meet us and guide us into a mooring buoy at $25US a day. te afternoon we sailed across to Tortola. Tinks Dave's cousin who works as a charter skipper for an rich American  came out in the RIB to meet us and guide us into a mooring buoy at $25US a day. 

Tinks Dave's cousin came out to welcome us to Tortola

 It been great to catch up with Tinks  who we haven’t seen for  18 years. She is a fount of information and very involved in the conservation of the island and its waters.  We celebrated our arrival with much reminiscing over dinner on Makoko.

  The wind has been howling most days between 20 and 30 knots. Thankfully we are on a good secure mooring but getting on and off the dinghy to go ashore avoiding getting wet from the waves as you go gets a bit tiresome. Dave has been busy most of the time doing DIY. she has taken us to some great snorkelling spots and I managed to snorkel around ok without getting into a panic even when 2 big tarpin (a beautiful silver 1 metre + fish) swam past me; the coral so far is not nearly as spectacular as the Great Barrier Reef but the tropical fish are pretty impressive. Next time I go I will try and have a go at using the Lumix camera Tom Claire and Simone gave me for Christmas.

  The skipper has spent most of his time doing DIY jobs. He has replaced the burnt out furler motor engine and fixed the outhaul on the mainsheet. He relaxed for one day then part of the 12 volt system went down including the automatic gas alarm detector which meant we had no gas

and had to turn the generator on whenever we wanted to cook! Of course it was a public holiday on Monday so yesterday a wiz electrician friend of Tinks came and sorted things out. I have to keep reminding Dave that we have done over 3,000 nautical miles in the last month

Dave repairing the mainsail furler

We are now having problems trying to buy and download charts for the Caribbean onto the new chart plotter Dave bought; so he has gone off with Tinks  in her old rattly jeep with only 2 seats to a Navioics distributor in Road Town. I stayed behind and updated my blog. 

At last we got Dave away from his DIY to enjoy some coastal scenery.

Off i to go snorkeling

Tinks took us in the RIB with a 50hp motor to some great  spots. I managed to snorkel around ok without getting into a panic even when 2 big tarpin (a beautiful silver 1 metre + fish) swam past me; the coral so far is not nearly as spectacular as the Great Barrier Reef but the tropical fish are pretty impressive. Next time I go I will try and have a go at using the Lumix camera Tom Claire and Simone gave me for Christmas.

Dave enjoying a snorkel

Spectacular schools of blue/silver coloured fish

Underwater scene

George enjoying some local art

Baskets made out of rope and junk found on the beaches

George celebrating his last night on Makoko 

George and Tinks reiminsicing about old times

We were very sad to say goodbye to George who only had 4 days with us before he embarked on a 48 trip back to Tassie. We will miss him so much as he was such fun to have on board and such a great crew member.

Local entertainment at the airport

Tonight there is a full moon party; they light fires in the metal sculptures in the water. It is quite a famous event with Carib style music, entertainment and food. The charter boats are flocking in so it will be fun and games as it is still windy. Tinks advised us to stay on board to look after our boat as most of the charters don't know how to anchor properly

The beach at Trellis Bay and site for the full moon party

Metal sculpture at Trellis Bay