Monday 26 Mar: A rather disturbed sleep last night: several anchor alarms (we use DragQueen app when unsure of the holding or if wind is too shifty), rain, yogurt alarm and slapping on the stern. And we wake up to a dull day, very overcast and more spots of rain, but it’s nice to have the sun off us for a while.
After breakfast, during a light drizzle, Glen wipes the salt spray off the windscreen and solar panels. One of his favorite jobs 🙂 Then vacuums the carpets with our brilliant Dyson Absolute, checks the engine belts he has tightened a couple of days ago, works all the sea-cocks (close-open), checks engine and generator oil level whilst giving them a general inspection. These are our regular maintenance items.
Mid-morning, we up-anchor from our spot next to the oil tanker and motor to Laborie, the next bay up on east coast. We are hugging the coast, passed the fishing village and passed the end of the international airport runway. This corner of the island is relatively flat, only several small hills, with bushy vegetation and not many trees.
Once around the corner, we must enter the shallow Laborie bay very carefully and Oana goes on the bow to keep a lookout. Few minutes later we are safely in. Very rolly here, so it will be just a quick anchor stop.
Very pretty village, with small beaches shaded by palm trees and colorful houses. Lush vegetation on the hills behind the village combined with the turquoise water makes a very pleasant scene. We shall definitely have a stop here during our road trip around the island.
Half an hour later, we are off again. Wind is 15knts due E. Out comes genoa. Rather than dead down wind, where the sail won’t fill, we head offshore on a broad reach, then gybe back to round the Grand Piton on the SW corner.
Yesterday we forgot to put the fishing line out (as usual), but we’ll have a go today, maybe we have BBQ fish for lunch … or maybe just the usual seaweed catch of the day!
As we approach the two Pitons we cannot but be in awe of their geological spectacle – 2 sharply peaked mountains, 770m high going straight up from the sea at 60deg elevation, right to their sharp summits. These are old volcanic plugs that have resisted erosion leaving what was their molten lava shape under a volcano now visible above sea level.
The short piece of coast between the Pitons is a popular anchorage, Anse des Pitons. We drive in to have a look. The bay looks very pretty, with white sand beaches and majestic lush mountains in the background. White posh hotel cottages (Sugar Beach Hotel & residences) on the hillside and couple of beach bars are nicely adding to the scene. Definitely we’ll be coming back here – this is Oana’s scene!
Then it’s short distance to Soufriere town. We motor through the moorings sitting on the fore-deck, Glen steering using the remote control for the auto helm. We get some interesting looks as we pass other yachts, Cloudy Bay apparently steering herself through the yachts! Oana is clicking yet more photos all the way. We can’t get enough of these views.
Soufriere Bay is much bigger, hosting a little fishing village and a small town. Customs & Immigration offices are here ashore, and we need to pay them a visit for the check in formalities to St.Lucia.
The pilot book tells us there will be one or more “welcoming committees”. Sure enough, a young man approaches us in his small local boat, pointing to a mooring buoy. Thinking it’s his mooring buoy, we follow him and throw him the mooring line. Once tied up we ask him how much for the buoy. But he says someone will come for the fee later, but his own fee (for handing us the rope!) is 40EC! Glen says we can pick up the buoy ourselves thank you very much, but appeases him with 20EC. Hmmm… we are starting to get annoyed with locals squeezing money out of us wherever they can. But we are also told that if you get angry with them, you might later regret it via an unwelcome visit to your boat in the night.
Once outboard is back on the dinghy, Glen jumps in the water for a cool off and his usual survey of the mooring and depth around us. After a delicious carbonara lunch (Oana’s culinary skills are going from strength to strength each day) we head ashore to check in with customs and immigration. It’s a very quick affair (only 15 mins altogether, the quickest check-in to date) and the officials are very friendly. And we were spot on, only 15 minutes before their closing time, hence saving ourselves from paying the “overtime fee”.
The town looks interesting. It has retained most of its old colonial buildings in various states of colourful dilapidation. The people seem friendlier than in St.Vincent and generally it’s more tidy. That said, we have noted that on most islands the rural people are generally friendlier compared to the main town or tourist areas.
As dusk comes we spot a lively little bar next to the dinghy dock and soon we are sampling both the local humor and rum punch. Ironically, also drinking here is the general manager of the nearby Sugar Beach resort, along with his wife. We have a dejavu of also meeting the resort GM in Canaouan. This guy’s last management job was at the GrandPrix circuit Yas Viceroy Marina hotel in AbuDhabi. Small world.
There is also a local lady who is the manager of fisheries. They are all interested to hear about our concerns with security, and especially dinghy and outboard thefts that are rife in St. Lucia. They listen with concern about the effects on the yachting community who have a very good network via radio and Facebook. They agree this is very good feedback and will take it up-the-chain of officials.
Once they have departed we are left chatting to one of the locals, a cool-dude Rastafarian with sunglasses perfectly propped on his peaked cap, gold necklaces, and neatly braided hair. He is very funny and seems to have taken a liking to us. Among his various tales, he tells us of a local drink called Pinkarwet which is only found in one place in Soufriere. It is made from rum soaked in various secret herbs plus the vital ingredient: turtle penis! Apparently it’s a brilliant afradiziac and increases stamina …. “Yeah man, Wit dis drink, you cun goo al’ night, an she’ll love ya for it!” he tells Glen.
He then proceeds to take us on a tour of the local life in the fishing village. It’s Monday night, but the locals all seem to be out. First a street side cooking venue, which seems very popular. The 2 big mamas with their charcoal cooking are “d’best, man”. We order some specialties and will return later to pick up.
Then past a bar where they are all glued to a movie on a TV screen; on passed a horde of young boys who laugh and joke with our chaperone, Chad. Then to a gambling hut, where locals are playing cards on one table and dominos on another. Clearly all very excited. Apparently, the loser has to drink a cup of water! A much healthier game than the usual British version where losers must take shots! We must remember to tell Jennie about this one, while she still has a liver!
Finally, we arrive at the bar where they have the famous Pinkarwet drink. A huge bottle full of herbs in liquid is pulled from under the counter and 2 glasses are poured, one for Glen and one for Skelo, now that we know his nick-name, which seems to fit well, given he is as thin as a skeleton! Glen likes the drink, very smooth. But he asked for a guarantee of its supposed effects. “Wait man, you’ll see the effects later wen ya git ‘ome”. The bar has all sorts of characters, all either drunk or more likely stoned; for they are all smoking marijuana.
And as the evening goes on, Skelo himself is getting more animated. It’s clear that he wants us to go with him tomorrow in his boat – that will no doubt be highly priced given this evening’s “free” entertainment. Finally, we decide it’s time for a sharp-exit while the going is still good. We say our goodbye to our entertainers and head back to town, still with Skelo tagging along. On the way passed the gambling tables we learn one woman has just vomited water! …. so, we guess it does actually work like shots!
Then we pick up our previously ordered local food which Oana declares to be yummy, much to the delight of the 2 mamas. She really does have a great way of engaging with the locals – they all instantly warm to her.
At the dinghy dock we manage to give Skelo the slip without any firm commitment on future business, then head back to Cloudy Bay, which incidentally is moored just 50m away from the bar we were just at. By midnight our evening is over, but Glen wants to go ashore to claim warrantee, given the Pinkarwet effects fell a little short of expectations!