West Palm Hotel

Funnily enough, this hotel had not changed. There were just more people staying there and hence and slower breakfast service, and worse internet. The staff have no idea how to run a hotel or provide customer service. In typical Trinny fashion there is lots of paperwork but no action. There had not been much rain so the pool level was down and no attempt was made to refil it. Since the hotel was just over the fence from the yard we coiuyld easily watch the yacht and workers. Starting at 8 am usually meant they started at about 10 and finished at about 4 pm.

Peakes Yard

Luckily he did not hit his head but had grazed both shoulders, hip, and elbow. The road got washed down, clothes went in the bin, and Hew got scrubbed off at the hotel and the bike went to the bike mender!! USD 300 to paint the road. Needless to say, after that he needed the weekend off – totally.

The work was going fairly well but Hew was exhausted and feeling ill for several days. Then on Friday he had to go and get more antifouling paint as therewas notenough to finish the job. He was cycling back and thought he had slowed enough for the speed bump in the yard – but not so. Over he went, put the brakes on a bit late, bounced, the handle of the paint tin came off, he jammed on the brakes and they locked, the paint tin hit the road and went everywhere and Hew went over the handlebars and landed in the paint.

While Hew was working in the yard I had made a couple of trips to the supermarkets to stock up the yacht. New Zealanders think NZ is expensive but the price of food here is very high e.g. TTs(Trinidad Dollars) -Apricots NZD3.10 each, 12 Cherries NZD1.06 each. Needless to say we didn’t buy any of these!

Bamboo Cathedral, A Satellite station and A Beach

The next Monday I went with another cruising couple on the Bamboo Cathedral Walk which is a very popular local track for exercise and is only about 15 minutes from the boatyard. The bamboo is huge and follows the track most of the way up to the top of the track. The track was a road so is paved all the way but it does need some serious maintenance both the 3m pothole below and near the top where it is being eaten out by water damage.

At the top is an old US satellite station suitable for a Bond movie that has fallen into disrepair along with the administration building that was below it. The graffiti – or local art – is always interesting in these old ruins but I enjoyed these.

When walking back down the track you can go back to the same entrance or down a side track to Macqueripe Beach. This beach has a retaining wall right around it which is sad but a good place to leave your gear while swimming.

Yerettê House – Humming Birds

On Monday Veronic, Marck, and I set off to go and see some hummingbirds at Yerettê Hosue. https://www.yerettett.com/ We learned a lot not only about the hummingbirds but also about the owner’s philosophy on life. He has worked all around the world and then settled back in Trinidad.

There are 14 species of hummingbirds seen there, of the 17 in Trinidad. They have numerous feeders around the house and also many nectar-producing plants. It is fascinating to watch these tiny birds hover while they feed, and also how territorial they are. I could have spent all day just watching them. The history of the birds, what they mean to the Amerindians, their exploitation by different generations, of invaders, and their whole biology would require many more pages. Here are a few short notes.

Hummingbird Facts

Hummingbirds flutter their wings at a remarkable 50-80 times per second! They do not flap their wings, they rotate them in a figure 8, which enables them to hover and fly backward and upside down. The heart rate of a hummingbird can reach up to 1,200 beats per minute during flight, and it can drop significantly during periods of rest to conserve energy. They have extremely high metabolism rates and need to consume large amounts of food, mainly nectar, to fuel their energy-intensive lifestyle. Some species feed on insects and spiders for additional protein, especially during the breeding season. They can enter a state of torpor during the night or when food is scarce, reducing their metabolic rate to conserve energy. This allows them to survive periods without food. Hummingbirds display iridescent colors on their plumage, which are the result of microscopic platelets in the feathers that refract light. These vibrant colors can change depending on the angle of the light. Hummingbirds are among the smallest birds, with many species measuring 3 to 5 inches (7.5 to 13 cm) in length.

I took dozens of pictures, but I needed a larger lens, a tripod, and much more time. They are so fast. In the pictures below you can see several of the different kinds that were in the garden and photos of how they can hover in one place horizontally or vertically. they can also fly upside down.

For those who are interested I have also made a video of the visit which incorporates video and photo footage https://youtu.be/aFhK-hxYMgs

While all this was happening progress on the boat is going well and we are on schedule to be back in the water 10 days after getting back. More on our adventures in the next blog: https://kiwiflyingfish.com/2024/02/party-time-at-trinidad-carnival/

We had a great sail and a good view of several little anchoring sites on the way if we ever wanted to come back. You may wonder why we take so many photos of odd islands but if you don’t you can never remember them, and some days it is too windy to stop and other days it is flat calm. Also sometimes there are great rock formations like Savan rock which looks like one thing from the north but something else entirely from the south!!

Anyway here are some of the nooks and crannies of the trip.

Back Through the Reef

We came back in through the Martinique Channel past Mopion, the Conch Shell Island and Punaise. Mopion is a favourite spot for cruisers and day trippers as it has lovely snorkelling and a little shelter on it to have lunch. See the 2022 blog https://kiwiflyingfish.com/2022/03/carriacou-petit-martinique/ We did not anchor this time as it was much windier than the photos show. The wind was great for sailing but not for anchoring in the open. We decided to look for shelter behind Petit St Vincent.

Petit St Vincent

We had called ahead for a reservation at the restaurant but Petit Saint Vincent was shut for renovations – end of the season again. When we arrived Di and I went for a snorkel. Di decided that there was no one staying on the island so no one would notice if she went for a walk, but a security guard turned up immediately and restated the policy that you could only walk on the beach not down all the private paths!! Back to the water.

The setting was very peaceful and we had a lovely evening. In the morning we were off to Carriacou and sailed past Petite Martinique but did not stop. We had stopped there in 2022. see https://kiwiflyingfish.com/2022/03/carriacou-petit-martinique/

Next Blog:

On the trip over from Saint Martin Pete had tried to fish but the sailing was good and we were going too fast again. He did catch a barracuda but we through that back in.

Arrival

Arriving in Gustavia, the capital of Saint Barts, we were delighted to find the easy check-in procedure, typical of the French islands. The warm and friendly welcome made us feel instantly at ease, allowing us to start our exploration without any hassle. However, due to the windy and bumpy conditions just outside the entrance channel in the anchorage area, we decided to continue on to Colombier Bay for a calmer anchorage.

Colombier Bay

Anchoring in tranquil Colombier Bay we found ourselves surrounded by lush vegetation and pristine waters creating a very picturesque setting to relax in for the evening.

The following day, Di and I set off on a trek from Colombier Bay to a patisserie. We had only vaugue instructions about a track and could find no signs on the beach. We then asking the advice of another lady on the track and she told us there was only a subdivision if we went straight up the hill but we might find a shop if we followed the track to Plage de Flamands, along the Colombier Beach Trail. The trail led us through a variety of landscapes, from bare rock with breathtaking coastal views, to later some nice bush and a far better track at the end. We also came upon a man practicing yoga with his dog, and some morning walkers.

The hike was much more than we had expected and we could not find a shop so we continued along the beach to a hotel and then asked the way. They indicated 5-10 mins straight up the hill – literally. Off we again and some 20 minutes later found St Jean village and a charming patisserie. The aroma of freshly baked pastries greeted us, and with a coffee and water we sat down for a late but well deserved breakfast.

To complete the walk, we followed the Route de Colombier road back to the lookout point. From there, we were treated to a stunning panoramic view of the island, with its red roofed houses, green hillsides and sparkling blue waters.

As we descended along the trail, through much more vegetation than the other side, we encountered the cute red toed land tortoises, native doves and the giant rock formations, all part of the island’s natural scenery.

Our dingy was still there after our 3 hour trek it seemed to be dwarfed by the house at the top of the hill. – We couldn’t wait to get to the water and have a swim.

Gustavia

After spending 3 nights in Colombier Bay we decided we needed to visit the town before we left and so headed back to Gustavia. We also needed to check the rigging and do a minor repair behind the anchor locker where the anchor seemed to have hit the hull several times just behind the anchor locker. We checked into the quayside and with few boats there we could go alongside.This was much better than the rocking rolling anchorage outside the town but there was still a lot of water movement. A trip up the mast confirmed that all was well and then Hew and I spent an hour in the dingy doing a temporary plaster of several holes in the hull. I was trying to hold the dingy steady while Hew tried to do a smooth patch job – needless to say with the wind and water movement it was more like artistic plastering.

After the plastering we headed off to have a look around the shops. All top end, famous labels and very expensive prices. Di and I managed to resist the urge during the day but later that night Pete and Hew found some shorts they couldn not resist and Di bought a new swim suit. The shops and contents were certainly beautiful to look at.

Evening

We had drinks on the boat before dinner and watched the activities in the harbour such as a super yacht parking on the other side of the harbour to us and backing in all the way. He had to go stern to due to the number of other yachts on that side.As the sun was going down the moon was coming up.

We decided one day in town was enough for us and we departed the next day for St Kitts and Nevis. WE enjoyed Saint Barts and would probably go again because it is very different from the other islands and there was definitely more to see and more places to go.

After leaving Saint Barts we sailed past the following two islands that we did not have time to stop at.

Saba

Saba is a very small and tall volcanic island rising straight out of the sea. Saba has a land area of 13 square kilometres (5.0 sq mi) and a population of 1900. There is one anchorage in the shelter of the island then further around there is a landing and a few moorings. There is a very steep road or walking track up to the town which is sheltered in the centre of the island. We did not have time to stop but friends of ours did and loved the place so we will return at some stage for a look around.

Eustatia

Locally know as Statia it was formerly part of the Netherlands Antilles, Sint Eustatius became a public body of the Netherlands in 2010. It is part of the Dutch Caribbean, which consists of Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten. Bonaire, Eustatia and Saba,  form the BES Islands, and are also referred to as the Caribbean Netherlands. Most of the beaches are supposed to be black sand and the largest private employer on the island is the oil terminal owned by GTI Statia.

Next Blog : Saint Kitts and Nevis

Maho Beach

We decided we had to come and see this tourist attraction and it didn’t disappoint. You cannot anchor near here due to the approach/departure path of the airport. Between watching the aeroplanes coming in and out and watching the photographers getting thrown across the beach it was a lot of fun. Despite all this, it is a beautiful beach. There is a large casino and hotel to the north side with a restaurant close to the beach which we tried out called Tortuga. There is also a real beach bar – the Driftwood Boat Bar.

On the other end, there are several other restaurants which you can watch from. They will serve cocktails and food in takeaway containers so you can go down to the beach to be closer to the action.

The rocks below the bars and restaurants contain several birds that seem totally unmoved by all the activity and noise.

Road Trip

When we asked what was good to go and look at there were only two places that were recommended one was Loterie Farm and the other was Parrot Ville. On the way there we thought we should stop in Philisburg the main town on the Dutch side. The area has many of the big retail shops/chain stores as well.

Philipsburg

This trip was the first time that we had been to the Dutch side – other than the area around the marina. Philipsburg is a cruise ship town. It is dead if there are none there which was the case this weekend and so it was very quiet when we walked around and all the shops were either shut or had about 5 staff and no patrons. There is quite a pretty beach and the boardwalk caters to tourists as does the first street back from the beach so it was all very quiet even at 10am. Here are a few photos to give you an idea of the town.

The electricians who were working on the alternators on the yacht were out racing in trimarans this weekend so here are a few pictures of the yachts.

Parrotte Ville

Parrotte Ville is privately owned and operated https://www.facebook.com/parotteville/. It is a very low-key large aviary in one of the suburbs of Philipsburg. They give you a small cup of seeds to feed the birds and the birds can hold onto the edge of the cup so they are quite happy. They are very friendly birds and if you don’t move much they will climb all over you. I had to give Hew my cup as I was trying to take photos but the birds were happy to come and talk to me anyway. At one stage Hew had 5 birds on him. It was great fun and very relaxing to see so many happy friendly birds.

There is a viewing platform in the middle of the aviary and some of the birds like to hang out underneath it. You can see parts of it in the pictures. There were many forms of climbing frames and ropes for the birds to play on. There were also birdhouses all around the enclosure and many had been opened or had the entries made larger by various birds to suit themselves. There was also a lot of vegetation in the gage similar to Taro plants that they both used as shade and occasionally nibbled on. The guide for the days says they do not usually wreck the plants as they just regrow so a good one to have.

The Toucan is kept in a separate enclosure because it is a meat eater and the meat attracts rats and mice. Funnily there were lizards in the Toucan enclosure as well and they did not seem particularly concerned. His favourite place is under a table, probably for the shade.

Loterie Farm

Loterie Farm https://loteriefarm.com/ is a private nature reserve of 54 Hectares on the french side. There are walking tracks, a zip line, swimming pools, and a restaurant. It was midday by the time we got there and we felt it was too hot to go walking so we just took in the restaurant with a nice lunch, a lovely cocktail, and a large iguana walking over the roof. We then had a relaxing couple of hours around the pool for our afternoon siesta.

Sundays

We decided last week that we would get a rental car as we had several jobs to do that needed to go all over the island.

Since it was Sunday and all the shops are shut or shut at lunchtime we thought we would go out for a late brunch and then onto the beach. We walked around Marigot town and it was empty and only new thing was another painted wall I hadn’t seen before. I love the street art you find in these islands and wonder why we do not make more use of our blank walls in New Zealand.

We finally found an open cafe for breakfast near the airport. We then headed up the coast past Maho to find a beach. After driving up and then back down the coast past many gated communities we finally went and had a swim at Mullet Bay beach. A lovely beach and surprisingly sheltered. It is one bay over from Mahoe so you can still see the arriving aircraft. It has a very steep sand bank at the moment. There is only a small beach bar and no big development like Maho. The beach is backed by a golf course which I assume has kept it from becoming totally developed.

Iguanas

On Monday Hew needed to get a new gas bottle and fittings as our Italian ones could not be fitted here and we couldn’t find adaptors so off to Philipsburg again. We managed to get all the parts and a bottle at one stop. Just down the road, we watched as a huge Iguana near the bus stop decided to move out of the sun and up the hill. the Iguanas are very common around the island and often sun themselves on the rocks around the bridges. Their colour really depends on their background. You can see the difference between these two photos and the one above at Loterie farm which was very green being on a very leafy tree.

We also needed sheets and went to a great store called Cost for Less which was very like Costco in the USA – everything in bulk. We decided that we really did need a list so we did not buy anything extra and left the shopping for another day.

Seamog

Matt and Jo friends from the South Island who we met cruising last year had turned at the end of the week. We had a lovely dinner at Dock 46 with them on Friday. Then on Tuesday, they needed to come into the marina and since it was fairly full they tied up alongside. They too are off to Europe.

It looks like it is going to be a social week again.

The alternators are finally in and the belts arrive today. We are expecting Di and Pete tomorrow and to be off the dock the day after. I hope all will go as planned.

Simpson Bay

When we arrived in Simpson Bay it was noticeably less busy than Marigot Bay. It was also obvious that there were several boats waiting for the bridge to lift. The bridge opens five times a day with different times for inbound and outbound boats, and you need to call in on the radio and list your boat. The yachts all then follow very closely through or they get a hurry up from the operator. The most difficult maneuvering is waiting outside just before the bridge opens when everyone is trying to get in line, especially if the wind is blowing from abeam the boats.

Once inside the lagoon, it is much calmer. There is room to anchor or you can go onto buoys. We took the early bridge opening and went straight into Lagoon Marina which is commonly called Lagoonies after the restaurant and bar at the end of the pontoon. We were due to be on the marina for a month but only had a week before we returned to New Zealand for a quick visit then we were back up again to do some delayed maintenance work. If you stay longer than a month they charge you at a higher rate. Our extra two weeks cost as much as a month.

Maintenance

The reason we were coming into the marina, apart from having a place to put the yacht for the trip to New Zealand, was that our new boom had finally arrived.

FKG

The process of ordering the boom had taken a year and as soon as we got in we went to make sure it was actually there at FKG which is next door. It was beautifully packed in its very expensive wooden box. Unfortunately, I did not take a photo of the box. If we were in NZ we could have sold the box or used it for all sorts of projects but here there was nothing that we could do but leave it for the yard.

We did not move over to the FKG dock as it was full so they just wheeled it around and put it on the boat using the topping lift. Very new and shiny.

FKG is a working dock and yachts usually are only there for a couple of days. One side is for fabrication and the other side is for the rigging crews. It is very busy. FKG did the boom for us, but they also then mended the helm seat which had failed, installed a bracket for the Starlink aerial ( more later), and fixed the hydraulics for the passerelle. Since we had a new boom we also had to get a new sail cover and the sail maker also made the chaps for the dingy.

When we also purchased a new dinghy to replace the interim one, that we had purchased in Jamaica, we then had to sell this dinghy and engine. We put up a notice on the wall and then let Hyacinth in the Business Point office know and left for New Zealand. Two days into our trip back to New Zealand and the temporary dinghy and motor were sold. Interestingly the guy running the cruisers net told us we would not be able to sell it because the engine was Chinese, but he was wrong!

We spent quite a few dollars with FKG and they were good enough to let us assemble the new dingy there. You might ask what did we assemble? Due to the lack of everything in the Caribbean, we ended up buying a dingy from an AB dingy agent, a Suzuki motor from a second agent, and a console meant for a Highfield dingy from a third agent. With the three items from different companies, Hew had to be an assembly man.

The next time we came into FKG to fix the hydraulics on the passerelle we did end up on their dock.

Appliances

The other big reason to come to Saint Martin’s was to buy replacement appliances for those that had failed. The yacht is run on a 220v system because it was European so we had not been able to find any appliances in the last six months as most of the Caribbean is 110v. One of the first stops in Saint Martin was the appliance shop. A new washing machine, and a new espresso machine, and of course we had bought the new microwave with us from New Zealand when we originally came up to Panama in October.

Just having the washing machine made the yacht feel cleaner and so much easier than constantly having to find laundries at each stop.

Lagoonies

Lagooon marina and the FKG dock next door are very social due to the Lagooonies restaurant and Bar which runs every day except Sundays – though if there is much going on like races it runs then as well. Because they have a large dingy dock many of the yachts around the lagoon come in to use the wifi, have dinner or drinks and listen to the live music which is 2 to 3 times per week.

They also run once a month a buy, sell and swap for yachties at no charge which creates a great deal of interest – if only to chat. We also managed to get rid of some of our “treasures of the bilges”!

Socialising

When we returned from New Zealand we found that Chris from Ari was in the dock and he was going to travel back to Europe with several members from the Vikings Group who we had crossed the Atlantic with., so we had to join the dinner organised in Lagoonies

After a three weeks of work and still waiting for parts we decided to take 4 days off and go for a cruise up the coast. The northern end of the island has a large park and two small islands are included.

Ile Tintamarre

Ile Tintamarre is a small uninhabited island with a lovely beach on its western side. The island has been inhabited in the past but only a few rock walls remain. Apparently an airline operated out of the island in the 1950’s until the plane crashed! There are paths over the island to walk around and it is part of the National Park area.

The waters are clear and good for snorkeling and diving. One of the most interesting snorkels was right between the boat and the southern headland where there was a whole school of Tarpon. They were not the least worried about snorkellers. The turtle was directly beneath the yacht and was much shyer.

This is a short video of the snorkelling and diving around the island. https://youtu.be/sErA1saAv-g

There are supposed to be two wrecks off the island but we did not get a chance to look at them. We may go again before we leave.

Isla de Pinel

Isle de Pinel is also part of the nature reserve with two restaurants, composting toilets, and no water so there is only bottled water on the island. There is a lovely walk over the island where you can see not only the western beach but also the northern beach and the SE Beach. It is very dry but Iguanas and rare cacti are common here.

The anchorage is really shallow, especially behind where we are anchored, then there is another entrance on the NW side of the island to get to the anchorage in the background but they are all local boats.

We stopped at the restaurant for a long lunch, they don’t do dinners, and it was very relaxing.

The next day we decided that we needed to walk around the island before we left. It is very dry but it was interesting to see the iguanas and the other two beaches. The Sargossa weed build-up is a problem in the Caribbean and it was interesting to see the amount that ha gathered on the SE beach.

With no fresh water, there are only composing toilets with very good signage to explain how they work.

The island is covered in grass and some shrubs. The best cover is near the beach on the western side and above that the shrubs are sparse and are only just coming into leaves after a long dry winter. There are iguanas around the island but they are fairly shy and hard to photograph.

Back to Lagoonies – More work and more socialising

This time we were back in the same area but on the FKG dock to fix the passerelle. To make life easiser they used a floating dock to stand on and just used our boom to secure the passerelle while they removed the lines to get replaced and the ram to increase its length slightly thereby making it more upright and allowing more room and a higher lift for the dingy .

We also decided to replace all the grommets in the trampolines at the front. When the grommets were ordered they did not have enough silver ones so they sent us silver and gold and we alternated the colours around the rim. We had the help of a young Polish guy called Jan which was great. He had also helped Hew when I was down in New Zealand.

When we arrived back after our a few days away firstly Sue and Reg – ex-Vikings on Misty Blue, decided we had to all have dinner at Dock 46. This meant our yacht, Misty Blue and their crew, and Chris and his Crew. We had a lovely night – photos from Sue.

Chris felt that we needed to have dinner with his crew who had missed the main party because they were still arriving. They were also ex-Viking sailors who had volunteered to cross back to Europe as a crew for Chris. So dinner was organised at the yacht club which is on the opposite side of the harbour from Lagooonies.

From the right Hew, Chris, Barb, Dave, Andrew

The following night we had agreed to have dinner with other friends who were anchored in the lagoon, Hans, Irene, and Thomas on Pacific Blue. We had met them in Providencia at the beginning of the season and kept in touch over the following months but this was the first time we had been in the same place at the same time since a very windy bay in the Dominican Republic. It was really great to catch up. They were also leaving to cross back to Holland.

After another few days on the dock and the Passerrelle fixed we were still waiting for alternator parts so we decided to leave the lagoon for a few more days and travel up to Anse Marcel and join Chris and his crew for their last few nights.

Anse Marcel

This is a lovely sheltered bay that also has a marina though we would be a very tight fit trying to get into the channel. It has been completely rebuilt after cyclone Irma and the hotel and grounds around the marina are lovely and they have a great Italian restaurant. The other advantage is that you can also check in and out here if you wish, at slightly more cost than the boat shops in town.

For some reason I did not take any photos there but here is a link to give you a good idea of the bay https://www.youtube.com/?v=W62zjy3Ecjo

I did go snorkelling but the water was full of the algal bloom in the small islands off the bay and even when I went around the NW corner it was not much better. I did not have the swimming bouy with me as Hew was driving the dingy but I almost got run over by a large rib cutting the corner of the point at full speed. Of course, I got yelled at and it was a warning to always take the buoy with you. Hew had been hiding on the sheltered side of the point but they were not paying any attention to him even though they could see him.

We had dinner with the Ari crew of Chris Dave and Andrew and said our goodbyes as they headed off back to Europe and we headed back to Lagoonies again for hopefully the final round of repairs.

“We love SXM” is the logo for all the advertising in Saint Martins(the French side) and Sint Maarten( the Dutch side) and it is everywhere in painted signs and advertisements. It is great to see such a pragmatic approach to the island and the entry procedures were similar. Once you are on the island you can go to either side by dingy or car or on foot, there is no division. If you want to change your yacht from one side to the other then you have to check out on one side and in on the other, but it is cheap, easy, and efficient. We wished more islands were las easy as this.

Street Art

Street art exemplifies a welcoming and inclusive feeling.

Marigot Bay

We arrived in Marigot Bay on the French side and checked in at Island Water World. Yes, you go to the local boat shop and they have a computer there dedicated to entry and exit permits. You fill in the information, print it, and the shop assistant checks the passport numbers you entered on the form match your passports, stamps it, signs it, and hands the entry permit back to you all for €2. Why can’t all countries be this simple?

Marigot Bay has moorings and areas to anchor. It is close to the markets and town and has a large dingy dock to make access easy for cruisers.

There is also an excellent French bakery close by – luxury after months of very basic food.

The center of the town on the French side also has many restaurants and some lovely clothing stores. We had been starved for more sophisticated shopping and my supply of bikinis was getting really tatty so some money was spent here.

Time to go

After two days Robyn and Cameron were ready to continue their travels to Houston and then back to New Zealand. I had purchased a new tablecloth for the boat at the market and we decided to celebrate in style.

After drinks on the yacht, we headed off to Dock 46 https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083611140570 for dinner. This is a real yachtie bar and restaurant but they have a great chef who will cook anything you want that is in the fridge/freezer at the time, even if it is not on the menu for the night. The food is beautiful. It has a great dingy dock and next door is Shrimpy’s laundry which also runs the cruiser’s radio net. It does not look much from the outside but is great inside the restaurant( at least on the ground floor). Much of the French part of the island still looks dilapidated from the cyclone 4 years ago and many places are only partially rebuilt.

After dinner, we decided we should go for a cruise around the lagoon. We were amazed at the number of boats there as we had not had a chance to go during the day. Also, the Causeway Bay bridge is lit up at night with great colours. This bridge which runs across the lagoon is a swiveling bridge whereas the two bridges that go out of the lagoon to the sea are both lifting bridges.

The Sandy Ground bridge on Saint Martins’s side only opens twice a day and is covered in decorative tiles.

Many of the boats that are used daily for visitors are low enough to travel through with the bridge down, as can all the dingys belonging to the yachts anchored inside and outside the lagoon,

Rebuilding after Cyclone Irma

We found remnants of Cyclone Irma that happened in 2017 everywhere. Most of the Dutch side has been rebuilt but many areas on the French side are still incomplete or forgotten. There are derelict boats everywhere, and many yachts have been repurposed for cruise boats so you see many without masts.

After Cameron and Robyn departed for Houston we had a few days before we were due into Lagoonies Marina, Sint Maarten for some maintenance so we explored the next couple of bays up the coast

Brewers Bay

Brewers bay has a lovely beach and was sheltered from the northerly so we anchored up in the NW corner which was quieter during the daytime. We had two lovely days of doing nothing then we felt we should move on to check out the next bay.

Grand Case

Grand Case was a much busier bay with a beautiful beach, with lots of bars and restaurants, and a colouful little town.

There was also a good snorkeling area around Rocher Creole but the water was not particularly clear. There has been an algal bloom around Saint Martins/Sint Maarten this year and it is still affecting the visibility, some places much more than others. Therefore you will notice that the shots in the video that are further away like the Turtle are not very clear, however you still get to find some great fish.

After two days there we headed off around to Simpson Bay and Sint Maartens to check into Lagoonies marina for some maintenance work. https://kiwiflyingfish.com/?p=13252

We flew out of Auckland to Los Angeles then after 6 hours on the ground direct to Panama City. Checking in online with AirNZ was torturous, having to fill in all the same days that you have already done so again. Check-in at the airport was painless. We were very early and it was worth it. 6 bags at 23kg each and 2 lots of hand luggage each.

Since there were three of us rather than two we used the Strata lounge which was peaceful and quiet, unlike the usually full and bustling Koru lounge.

The flight on AirNZ was uneventful and arrival at LAX standard was normal with all the queues.

Transit to LAX was 6 hours and painful. The Check-in counter didn’t open until 3 hours beforehand and there is almost nowhere to sit and wait in TomBradley and the food options are atrocious. I doubt if this problem will ever be fixed as there is not enough space in that part of the terminal. There is also nowhere to leave any bags for a few hours and go for a walk.

Check-in with Copa online was easy and at the terminal simple. Surprisingly all the bags arrived at each airport and none were damaged.

The flight to Panama was surprisingly good compared to our flight on Delta on the way home. New B737 Max and excellent food. The choice was Chilli con Carne or Chicken Chow Mein.

Departure and arrival on time. Easy smooth transit through customs and immigration – what a pleasure after LAX. The immigration asks for the total number in the group and then the individual total luggage and hand luggage. We had 4 pieces each total of 16 pieces of luggage and they did not blink!! Obviously used to large family groups. As the pieces went through the scanner the only item they queried was the fibreglass batten for the sail, they thought it was a fishing rod!! But when we explained, all smiles and waved us on.

Our pick-up was there but unfortunately, at the wrong terminal – it is all one building but the plane was parked in T1 and the bags were at T2. A short conversation and all sorted.

The view from the plane at dawn into Panama was beautiful. Calm, sunny, patches of fog and mist.

We arrived at rush hour so the first 20 mins from the airport to the freeway north was slow, but we saw some more parts of Panama that we hadn’t seen.

Panama City is very compact and surrounded by jungle.

The Atlantic Bridge is 4.6km long and has a clearance below it of 75m constructed by the Chinese Communication Construction Company. Finally completed in 2019.

Marina was unchanged same smiley faces, happy to see us, and lots of boats. Those that have been here longest with no owners on board were covered in mould. All our exposed sheets were mouldy. One of the first jobs was a full washdown.

During the unpacking, we were looking through the escape hatch to see a 1.2m barracuda looking back at us – seemed totally unconcerned.

Get gear on board, power up the yacht, remove the dehumidifier, turn on the water, get fresh food, and new seals on fridges before we could turn them on. Swim.

Wash the entire outside of yacht2 scrubbing one on the hose, unpack the new microwave, unpack other non-clothing items, and put swim fins back together. Swim! Lunch, siesta, Feeling shattered.

Continue unpacking. Visit from Office to ask when we wanted the 11 items delivers – we said the next day. Continue tidying up, and sorting out error messages on the fridge. Power to the solar controller to sort.

Also along with us are two yachts with chicken coups on board!! Apparently, it was a fun project during the covid lockdown and they have stayed. One of the chickens in Theo’s coup( it has 2 ) has done 5000 miles !!

Catch up with François who tells us he is staying on yacht 4 boats along as cook for a maintenance crew that is on board. Also tells us that many yachts have been struck by lightning this year including the 75ft motor yacht that he had a job on- it is completely dead. Apparently, the technicians are thinking that the new boats with electronics are creating a magnetic field in the boats and attracting the lightning!! Another thing to check.

Tomorrow off to town in the bus to get some groceries / check out the closest town.

Next Post : https://kiwiflyingfish.com/2022/10/panama-2-fascinating-flora-fauna-and-forts/

There is a very strong Dutch influence and we met several people who had arrived from the Netherlands and stayed as well as numbers of dutch holidaymakers. Along with large numbers of American businesses, Resorts with private access to the beach it seems the locals are not entirely integrated. The locals we did have the chance to meet were great and very friendly and full of information.

Willemstad

Willemstad town like a game of rugby is in two halves on either side of the main harbour entrance: Punda on the SE side and Otrobanda on the NW side. The fort sits at the entrance on both sides.

Behind the Rif fort, there is a pretty facade of old Dutch buildings.

But further back many are in decay. The fort has now been turned into restaurants and shops both inside and outside the walls.

Waterfront arches are the old wall with restaurants on the seaward side. The building behind the sign is falling apart.

Building Styles and Colours

The yellow coloured walls and ceramic tiles are a common colour theme. Many of the government buildings and offices are repurposed older houses.

Many of the buildings have ornate plaster decorations.

Jewish Area

The first Jewish immigrant arrived in 1634, then other Sephardi Jewish immigrants followed in the 17th Century from the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain. The community was very prosperous. In the 20th century, Ashkenasi Jews came from Eastern Europe. There is a very good history on Wikipedia. The houses in the Jewish area are being restored in a project between the government and businesses. This has been a great success and is ongoing.

Workers cottages on the main road out of town.

Street Art

There is one area of the old town especially full of street art, although there is a lot of street art all over Curaçao it is different to Bonaire. Some are very good and I would have liked to spend more time looking around the art in all the different areas.

One common theme here is the Chichi doll. Chichi is the Papiamentu word for ‘big sister’. and represents a vibrant, dynamic and responsible older sister, the eldest daughter of the family. She binds the family together in a loving and caring way. The dolls adorn the touristy shops, the art, and even underwater sculptures!!

Lack of Service but Colourful Businesses

The people are either very nice or trying to rip you off. You can buy very good fruit and vegetables at the markets in town, very expensive fruit and vegetables at the supermarket, and get ripped off( tried by some but not all) if you try and buy some at the stalls on the edge of the roads.

Fees to take money out of ATM extortionate, 7-14USD to take USD from foreign credit or debit cards out depending on the bank. Even though the ATM may look beautiful!!

Service is the exception rather than the rule, though when you do find a good restaurant it is good. Iguacu and The Grill at Punta, The Pier at Caracas Bay, and Jaanchie(walking talking menu) were all good values.

Willemstad Harbour

They have two lovely major harbours but the one near the town is for oil refining and cargo. The harbour reeks of petrochemicals and despite lower activity in the area, there is no sign of any clean up going on.

There is an old Queen Anne footbridge across the harbour entrance that is motorised at one end and can be partially or fully opened at any time to let boats through as shown in the photos earlier. It is an 1888 floating pontoon bridge and pivots on one end with the other end now motorised. Sometimes opening only partially for small craft and right open for big ships. When it is fully open for an hour or so a free ferry service operates across the harbour.

Further inland is the new hugely high motorway bridge—a huge contrast.

Spanish Waters / Caracas Bay

The cruising port, Spanish waters in Caracas Bay, is very large but you are restricted to anchoring in certain areas. The rest of the harbour includes an area reserved for mangroves and much of the other shoreline is private houses and beaches.

Despite having some fantastic sheltered harbours and a large number of local boats Curacao is not set up or really interested in cruising boats like us. There is a small boatyard and marina in the main harbour where some cruisers moor or haul out for the offseason and another small marina in Spanish Waters. The only other option is anchoring in Spanish Waters with many liveaboards scattered around the harbour. Access ashore is a wet dinghy ride to a small dock.

A selection of the houses around the harbour – large and small.

Pontoon around the bay at the entrance protects it from the boat wakes and storms – it also has a great bar there.

Immigration, Customs, Harbourmaster and Cruisers

To make life harder for cruisers The immigration and customs are 10 km from the Spanish Waters dingy dock and 2km apart on opposite sides of the main harbour entry. Buses are few and far between so you need either a rental car or a taxi which are exorbitant.

To get a cruising permit you also need to visit the pilots’ office which is near immigration and they will give you a permit for Spanish waters for 3 months. If you want to anchor in any of the other 6 approved sites you need to pay for a 3-day pass specifying the days. This means planning ahead irrespective of the weather or returning to the office when you decide, therefore, another expensive trip.

Going North

Westpunt area in the north is very nice but a long way in the yacht if you have to come back south 30-40k to check out. By car the rental cars and roads are good. There are a few interesting sites on the way like old plantation houses changed into restaurants, a few sculptures and a few beaches interspersed with failed developments.

Diving

There is diving around the island, a mixture of shore-based and boats. There are many operators and some very good and others not so. Also, several single-person operators are never there when you are trying to find them. In Bonaire, there were utes everywhere with dive gert in the back. Less so in Curaçao but you would not find gearing upon the pavement in the middle of any other city!!

We went diving in Curaçao with Benny and Alice. Benny we met diving in Bonaire and Alice joined us in Curaçao. The shore dive was at Playa Kalki and a boat dive at “Black coral garden” and “Watanula”. The diving was good but not many big fish, probably because there seems to still be a lot of fishing around Curaçao. The last dive was spectacular. As usual the further you get from the regular dive sites the better.

Another favourite activity is cliff jumping from right outside the restaurant.

Klein Curcaçao

We decided we had to get out of Spanish waters with their grey skies, wind and murky water. So we headed off upwind to a little island that is used by tourist boats and locals as day anchorage only. There are moorings which we did use with an extra rope tied on!! What a change of scenery!!

Since we were out in clean water again the washing needed doing, but in such pleasant surroundings it is not a problem.

The island was a paradise for seabirds until the 19th century when an engineer found it was covered in phosphate. from 1871 to 1886 they removed 90 tonnes of phosphate and shipped it to Europe. The island was left bare and a few meters lower. It took the seabirds a long tie to return but they have never reached the same numbers as before. In the 17th century, licences allowed people to catch and slaughter Caribbean monk seals – they are now extinct. the island was also used as a place to leave sick slaves before transferring the rest to Curaçao – they often died here. A very sad history for the island

The original lighthouse was built in 1877, destroyed in a hurricane, the current one was built more in the centre of the island but it is now derelict. There are also two wrecks on the island.

Cruise Operators

No one lives on the island but there are various structures belonging to several different tour groups. Mermaid takes out 130 people per day, St Anne Cruisers 70ppd, 3 other catamaran companies probably total about another 60ppd.

Wildlife

The island is supposed to be a turtle sanctuary but with that many people visiting every day I am not sure how the turtles get on!!

The sand on the leeward side is as fine as talcum powder, very beautiful and snorkelling or diving very easy as the reef drops straight down off the shore.

Ashore are various lizards, seabirds, and even some godwits. All are competing for beach space with the tourists.

We stayed the night, only our boat, a fisherman and a one person on the island keeping watch. Wonderful.

We departed early the next morning on the way back to check out Willemstad.

We checked out, then sailed up the coast to Santa Cruz, stopping for the night then off to Colombia.

Union Island

Union Island was our immigration point into the area called the” Saint Vincent and the Grenadines”. We entered Clifton Harbour which was the nicest and most casual check-in anywhere.

The harbour has all the yachts on mooring buoys and is close to the airport and a kite surfing bay. A local boat was always about to help out with picking up a mooring and for a small fee take our rubbish, great service with a smile.

We managed to get a mooring then got into the dinghy and drove under a little bridge to a dinghy harbour.

We hopped out of the dinghy and gave our documents to a very friendly agent then sat in a bar looking out to the harbour for a cool drink while we waited for them to come back. The little bar has a lending library and a small shop with normal beach clothes and some very good books about Caribbean flora and fauna. The arrival was made very pleasant and stress-free.

On a little atoll, near the mooring area, there is also a small bar for sunset drinks. with a view over the kite surfing area to the airport. The fact that there is always kite surfing here tells you something about the wind – incessant!!

The town has a collection of very pretty stores selling real local artwork. There is also a very helpful information centre and the Marine Park office if you need to ask anything about the Tobago cays. The town had a very pleasant feel and the local land tortoises are very cute.

The bars around the town were very cute and their names kept us amused.

After checking in and spending a night on Union island we moved onto Mayreau Island in the Tobago Cays Marine Park.

Tobago Cays

Tobago Cays Marine Park is a popular destination in the southern end of the Grenadines. The marine park consists of a 1,400-acre (5.7 km²) sand-bottom lagoon which encompasses the five cays, the Mayreau island and a 4 km Horseshoe Reef. The story of the marine park management and setup can be found with this link. It has been a long process and is not yet completed. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tobago_Cays

Mayreau Island

Mayreau island appeared to be a lovely island with few people. We stopped for a night at Saline beach which was a lovely beach but because a cruise ship was in the harbour, they have first rights to most of the beach, so we could only land at one end. You can walk along the beach but you cannot go inland as it is taken up for the cruise ship visitors with chairs, a little day snack bar and drink bars. This tends to make it less than friendly!!

Met some fellow kiwis here, Colin and Marion Cashmore on Avant Garde and Matt and Jo McCaughan on Seamogs and after a few rums discovered we knew many people in common. Typical kiwi connections boating, flying and neighbours.

The next day we wanted to stop at Salt Whistle Bay which reputably had great beach bars and island liofe. A group of 5 catamarans were heading for it ahead of us and when we got closer we realised that the bay was really full and overcrowded. The wind was blowing 25kts and we thought that stopping there did not seem a good idea so we continued on to Tobago Cays.

Petit Bateau and Petit Rameau

We anchored in the channel between the two islands of Petit Bateau and Petit Rameau. There were mooring buoys there which were handy as the wind and the current were strong. Mr Mandy Man arrived in his boat, sorted out our mooring and booked us in for dinner all before lunch! We all hopped into the dingy to try the snorkelling around on the Horseshoe reef. Unfortunately with the howling wind, the water was really stirred up and not very clear. We did see some turtles but not much else.

Later we went and had dinner at the beach BBQ area on Petit Bateau.

Tobago Cays Reef Diving

The next day we went diving with one of the local operators, Glenroy, to look at Mayreau gardens and one other spot on the reef. We were expecting bad visibility but it was OK. Neville was getting the hang of his camera and the spiny lobsters were looking back at him knowing he could not take them!!! The Nurse shark just ignored him!

I have split the photos into three blocks, the divers, the fish and the lastly the coral and sponges.

Canouan

Canouan is a small island with several large expensive resorts. The marina to the south, Sandy Lane Yacht Club, is next to an airport that seemed to mostly service private jets. The island seemed to be a mix of private resorts with the locals excluded apart from when required for service jobs. Not the most welcoming of destinations.

We stopped in the Charles bay, off Charleston the largest town, but the wind through the valleys and off the hills made the anchorage untenable. We then shifted into the lee of the cliffs to the north of the harbour which was a pleasant anchorage and we were only accompanied by a couple of much larger boats.

We stayed for a night and some snorkelling then decided to move on and head back towards Union island to check out. Unfortunately, the holiday for Nev, Mark and Pete was coming to an end and they were all flying out around the same weekend from Grenada, and the yacht was going up on the hard for some TLC.

Union Island Check Out

As we headed south we checked out of Union island at Clifton Bay in the northern end, then decided to anchor for the night at the bay in the Southern End called Chatham Bay. This was a lovely bay with three bars and some good snorkelling areas. We were tucked into the cliffs as again the wind was howling and we wanted a calm night. We saw a kiwi flag there and met Colin and Marion from the Bay of Islands and had a great chat.

There was a great collection of pelicans on the northern cliffs of the bay which kept us amused. for some time. They are beautiful flyers and great to watch.

Return to Grenada

As we sailed back to Grenada we went in close to the coast to look at some of the areas we had missed on the way north. It was worth it even if it was raining at times.

The last view of the colours of Port Louis and Grenada for Pete, Nev and Mark who were leaving.

Grenada Colours

Overall

Grenada is very lush green environment that will grow anything with the rainfall ranges from 2m in the hills to 1m at sea level. The temperature ranges from low 20 – low 30deg C.

We found Grenada a very colourful country where the flowers are bright and beautiful colours, their houses are painted brightly, and then they further decorate all the buildings for Independence day. However, all these colours seem to happily blend in together, so here are a few examples.

Firstly, there is the town of Saint George and Surrounds.

Grenada Independence Day

The trip was shortly before Grenada independence day celebrations so everyone was dressing up their houses and villages. Usually, there is a prize for the best dressed town but this year the celebrations had been toned down due to covid gathering limits, however, most places were still decorated as can be seen from these few photos.

Shops and Roadside Stalls

Houses

Almost all the houses built from concrete blocks, and often the second storey fis built first. Later, when they have the money they fill in the lower storey and use it for their family or rent it out as a flat. Balustrades around decks are very decorative on the front side, compared to often fairly plain sides and back of houses, with contrasting or stronger colours used for detailing.

Bigger Houses

Mid range houses

Smaller Houses

Houses cobbled together and run down

Plants and Fruit

Grenada is very lush and green with a reasonable rainfall all year and volcanic soil, so they can grow almost anything. Many of the fruits and trees that ave been imported were for cash crops. The range of plants is fascinating and everyone is happy for you to go along the roadside and pick fruit from the trees.

Here is a list of the fruits, vegetables, and various other commercial plants that we saw during the trip. I will only put a few pictures up as you can look up the others online. Also, some of these plants we already knew and others were new to us, so these we were often given to taste. One of the most fascinating was how there were nutmeg and cinnamon trees everywhere.

Spices:

Bay leaves, Cinnamon, Cloves, Coriander, Lemongrass, Mace, Nutmeg

The Nutmeg tree is an amazing tree which can initially fruit when it reaches 8 years, fully matures at 20 years, can fruit for 60 years, and grow to a height of 20 meters. The dried and ground nutmeg is used for flavouring within the culinary industry including the manufacture of nutmeg ice-cream, nutmeg rum and rum punch. Also, Nutmeg oils and butters, are made from the seed, and widely used in the food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries.  Additionally, the outer pericarp is used to make jams, jellies and syrups. The red membrane— mace— is used as a seasoning. Then, outer shell is often used for mulch in all the gardens including around the marina. The seed is also on the Grenadan Flag. Some interesting business facts in this article foryou. https://www.forbes.com/sites/daphneewingchow/2020/02/23/nutmeg-grenadas-black-gold-is-on-the-cusp-of-resurgence/?sh=19debc443f28

Grenada’s cinnamon is highly valuable because it is True Cinnamon, originating from Ceylon ( Sri Lanka) from the Cinnamomum zeylanicum tree. This spice is more valuable and much healthier that the commonly found “Cassia”. https://spicegrenada.com/true-cinnamon/

Fruit:

Breadfruit, Banana, Chenet (Guinep), Cherimoya, Cherry, Cocoa pods, Coconut, Coffee, Damsel, Golden apple, Gospo fruit, Grapefruit, Guavas, Jackfruit, Mammee Apple, Mandarin, Mango, Papaya, Passion fruit, Pineapple, Plantain, Pomegranate, Pomerac, Prickly Pear, Sapote, Soursop, Star fruit, Sugar apple, Tamarind

The Cocoa tree grows pods on both branches and trunks. When the pods are ripe the seeds are sweet and can be sucked like lollies. If the cocoa is used for chocolate it must be dried first( see links on the chocolate chapter).

The mangos and the avocados have many different varieties on the island, not just one so they fruit at different times. You eat whatever is in season.

Vegetables:

Avocado, Asparagus, Aubergines, Beans, Calabash, Pumpkins, Pigeon peas, Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Tomatoes

Other:

Cashew nuts, Almond, Walnuts, Loofah, Cotton, Mahogany, Sugar Cane.

Flowers

Chocolate Factories

We visited two chocolate factories. The first factory and the oldest is called “The Grenada Chocolate Company”, which was very manual and had mostly been shut down during covid. https://www.grenadachocolate.com/

The second was where we had lunch at Belmont Estate.https://belmontestate.net/cocoa.htm. It was bigger and more commercial. Orientated to busloads of visitors.

The hair of one of the waitresses was spectacular. How your hair is done is very important here with many adults having extensions. The girl children all have their hair plaited beautifully for school and as one mother with three daughters said – she plaits their hair every day and it usually takes an hour each morning before school. Nails are another fashion item with everyone who can, having them as long as possible, varnished or gelled.

Rum Factories

We visited only one rum factory, of the many, the River Antoine Estate. The water came from a stream above it and ran over a huge water wheel which drove the sugar cane crusher. The liquid was then heated with wood-burning fires under the vats fired by the dry remnants of the sugar cane and local wood. The following are a few photos. Here are a couple of short video s showing more of the water wheel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7A0Gcy6YYI , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6bD_BqCR-4

Annadale Waterfalls and Grand Etang Topical Rain Forest

Between the rain and various stops for fruit tasting and rum and chocolate tasting we also saw the Forest Park and Annadale waterfalls(one of the many up in the hills). We would have liked to stop at two others but ran out of time.

Grand Etang Topical Rain Forest

The rain forest is definitely as stop on the tourist route as you can see from the welcoming committee.

The Forest Parkcovers 3,800 acres and is on the central mountain range above the 100 feet contour line and is best known for the diverse range of plants and animals. The Grand Etang fern is unique to this part of the world and is protected.There are also historical sites in the park dating back to 1700. The park not only has local animals and plants but also imported. There is quite a group of monkeys but we did not see any as it was a wet and rainy day. There is also one Austrailan rainbow gum on the way in to make the Aussies feel at home.

Annadale Waterfall and Forest Park