St Thomas, St Johns, British Virgin Islands and island hopping south to Grenada

Part 1: US Virgins to Dominica:-     View Album Play slideshow 

                                 Part 2: Dominica south to Grenada:-    View Album  Play slideshow

This proved to be a horrendous passage as the winds were stronger than we liked, with swells of over 8 feet from the opposing currents and a good chop on top, plus the currents were generally against us. We had seas crashing over the boat, even with all the hatches shut, chocked tight we got sea water in the boat. Anyway 6 1/2 hours later we anchored in Magen’s Bay, St Thomas, – 27 miles away – so we averaged 3 1/2 knots, slower than walking speed, but we got there!

Magen’s Bay, St Thomas

is a spectacular bay. It is just huge with a large deep anchorage. We anchored in over 30 foot depth and used a good bit of our 250 foot of chain. We enjoyed a lovely evening swim and a very peaceful nights sleep.

Leaving early for

St John

We arrived 2 hours later after an easy motor-sail. We picked up a National Parks mooring in Canteel Bay.

Again it is an absolutely beautiful island. The beaches that line the shoreline are white and palm lined, the rest of the coast rugged with cactus and thorny brush. We dingied to the town of Cruz Bay which is colorful, clean and very busy.

We spent a few days at the Canteel Bay anchorage. It was a beautiful place to be but so rolly due to all the water traffic especially the ferries that zoomed by. While there we explored the town and went for a hike up the “mountains”. We started off from the town and followed the Lind Point Trail, which then lead onto the Canteel Hill Spur and on to the Canteel Hill Trail where we hiked up Canteel Hill all 719 feet.  And up Margaret Hill at 800 feet, (but the hills felt like mountains) it was a steep climb through beautifully shady pathways that zigzagged up the rugged slope. Fortunately there was a good breeze most of the way! The climb was tough but well worth it as the overhangs and views were spectacular. You could see for miles and miles across all the Virgin Islands. The colours are just amazing. I loved the varied vegetation of the trails and the bird song from all the different birds was just wonderful. The overall hike took several hours but we both thoroughly enjoyed it.

Snorkeling in the afternoon was very enjoyable. The reef life is great. The reef has been well protected and the bonus is abundant sea life. There are sea birds diving for schools of fish. The pelicans are so trusting that you can walk right up to them.

We moved along to Francis Bay. There we would be in a good position to cross over to BVI. While there we enjoyed the beaches and went on a hike to the Annaberg ruins, both the school and the sugarcane plantation. They were built by the Dutch and walking around reading the history was fascinating.

 

British Virgin Islands

Our passage to BVI was an average motor sail we arrived in

Sopers Bay

and picked up a buoy amongst the very crowded mooring field. Checking in was a breeze as customs and immigration were right there and a very easy process. We spent the rest of the day checking out the area and getting a few supplies. Prices are much higher than the previous islands.

From Sopers we sailed to

Great Harbour, Peters Island.

There we anchored in 40 foot of water so we used over 200 feet of chain. We headed ashore to explore and were pleased to find that even though it is a private resort we were able to walk around the island. We enjoyed walking a good way up the steep hill that over looked the island. We also strolled along the beaches and then returned to Aeeshah for a swim.

Leaving Peters we travelled to Virgin Gorda.

John was overjoyed, as we were able to sail the entire way. We tacked in 10 to 15 knots for 29 miles and he was in the best mood ever. I must say the day was just lovely as we were zipping along and although we were heeled right over it was very smooth. The best sail since the Bahamas! In Virgin Gorda we anchored next to Prickly Pear Island for the night.

While at Virgin Gorda we managed to explore the beaches of Prickly Pear Island, snorkel the reef, have 2 delicious lunches at The Pub, get laundry done, clean the boat and top on a few basic provisions. We had previously explored the BVIs in 2007 and did not feel the need to explore as we felt we needed to get moving towards Grenada.

BVI is certainly the land of sail. There are hundreds of sailboats everywhere, charterers galore, mega yachts, regular cruisers of all types. It is a very lively place in and on water. BVI is just as beautiful as it ever was, a really wonderful sailing destination, which we will revisit next year.

Our 1st destination was St Kitts.

Setting off at 10:45am we sailed for 25 1/2 hours and covered 140 miles anchoring in Ballast Bay

At the southern end of St Kitts. John was very pleased with our passage as we sailed for the majority of the way. We only used 2 gallons of diesel! On the way we also had the company of small pod of dolphin. This species were much smaller than the ones we watched further north, but just as playful. Ballast Bay was lovely for the night as it was calm with a cool sea breeze. We swam, relaxed and enjoyed a barbecue steak dinner.

Off we set at 7:00am the next morning for Montserrat.

It was an 8-hour passage that went well. We watched the strange, wild,

Island of Redonda

As we passed. It was had to imagine there was ever industry with 100 inhabitants on what looked like an inhospitable rock. John hooked a small tuna that made him very happy.   We were fascinated to see the steam, smoke and ask coming from the

Montserrat Soufriere volcano.

Its last major eruption was in 2010. As we approached Montserrat we could see just how rugged the island is. The peaks rise to 3000 feet from a shoreline that is mainly faced with cliffs. We anchored in practically the only “safe” anchorage at

Little Bay.

It was in the lee but still the seas rolled in so we knew we were in for a real rock and roll of a night. The northern end of Montserrat where we were anchored is very lush with vegetation. The peaks are a variety of deep greens and attractive with a rugged cliff face and dark beach it was an attractive bay. The seas crashing up on the shoreline made a constant roar, but that same swell caused a rock and roll to the boat that was exceedingly uncomfortable. As the night continued so did the swell worsen, the music from the bar ashore became a really annoying noise and we were also invaded by flies. To top it off the propane stove refused to light and it rained so we couldn’t barbeque the fish. It had to be a microwaved dinner of beans on toast for us. The circumstances only worsened through the night as the swell increased to the point that we were rolling from 20 odd degrees one way to 20 odd degrees the other way and the bar ashore increased the volume to make for further noise. Neither of us slept much before 4:00am when finally off went the music and the roll did decrease somewhat. We left the anchorage by 6:30 and decided that we will only visit Montserrat by ferry in the future. However we have since met couple that told us of a wonderful anchorage up a river in Montserrat, so we will probably give it another visit.

The next day was such a lovely sailing day. We had a perfect wind direction at 10-15 knots, we flew over the sea, at an average speed of 6 1/2 knots we covered over 45 miles in 7 hours. John hardly had to adjust the sails; in fact he had a doze as we flew along. We were fascinated with the Montserrat shore where we could see the damage from the last eruption. The ash and lava flows were just huge but there amongst it all were still a few buildings poking up. The size of the ejected boulders was amazing. Further on the way we saw something that was large and appeared to be wrapped in tarpaulin being held afloat by a dozen or so buoys. Someone’s “package” waiting to be picked up?

We arrived in Deshaies, Guadeloupe

And dropped the anchor. Guadeloupe from the water looks to be an attractive, clean, orderly and interesting place. The peaks rose steeply and were forested making the bay very attractive. We had a refreshing swim even though the water was 82 degrees and enjoyed a relaxing evening in a lovely, calm, peaceful anchorage. We will definitely be back later this year.

The next morning it was on to Iles Des Saintes  

Where we picked up a mooring buoy at

Bourg Des Saintes.

This group of islands is just stunning having a reputation for their beauty they defiantly lived up to it. Here we saw wild dolphin visit the anchorage and children off of one of the yachts were swimming with them.

 

Early the next morning it was off to Dominica

And we flew across the water. We averaged 6.6 knots with full main sail and deeply reeled jib arriving in time for lunch. As we entered

Prince Rupert Bay

We were greeted by Providence.

He told us where to go for a mooring that belonged to the PAYS. This is the Portsmouth Association of Yacht Security it was formed some years ago by the boat boys. He basically volunteered to assign himself as our official guide and helper during our stay. In Dominica the official guides and taxi drivers have to pass exams in Nature Science, history, geography and such to be true representatives of the island. They are very knowledgeable and helpful people. We arranged to do an Indian River tour with him the next morning. For the rest of the day we found the customs office and checked in then walked to AIG a supermarket in the town of Portsmouth. This was a treat of a supermarket and we were able to pick up the essentials. Back at the boat we decided against a swim, but instead went ashore to a nearby beach bar The Purple Turtle to subscribe to wifi and have a cocktail or two. Upon arriving at the beach we were greeted by the sweetest white with black ears, young dog. He accompanied us to the bar, curled up in the sand to await us and then begged to come back with us. Apparently these dogs are beach dogs, strays who just scavenge and forever beg a home from the newest cruiser visitors. I really wished we could take him with us.

Bright and early Martin aka Providence arrived to take us up the

Indian River.

We climbed aboard his boat and were accompanied by 3 others and set off to the mouth of the river. Here Martin paid our park fees and off we went. After we passed under a bridge he positioned himself at the bow where he began to row us up river. Due to the rain the evening before there was a steady 4knot current running so it was no easy feat to row upstream. Martin told us all about all or the fauna and flora. He was a wealth of knowledge and exceptionally interesting to listen to. He stopped and got a couple of coconuts

That were lying everywhere along the riverbanks and then with a few whacks of the cutlass/machete he started to take off the husk. Apparently the husk is/was used as stuffing for beds or cushions, as kindling and also to wash dishes with instead of a plastic scourer. He then neatly chopped off the top and passed it around for us to drink. It was delicious coconut milk. He then extracted the meat and we all had a coconut snack, yummy!  He explained the uses of coconut and the health benefits of which there are many. As we continued up river he shared the same interesting information about many of the plants and animals. Another interesting stop was to see up close one of the many crabs.

He showed us the difference between a male and a female crab and talked about the national foods that use these crabs. There are 20 different species of crabs in Dominica. Martin is also a chef so he was able to tell us how to cook with these crabs and make the dish Calaloo which uses both crab and coconut. Swamp Cyprus trees whose roots formed beautiful patterns lined the banks of the river.

Once we arrived up river we were able to stop at a riverside refreshment stop. Here we were treated to a walk into the rainforest where again Martin explained about the plants, this time the medicinal uses. I found him fascinating and it was very educational. We then had a wonderful fresh fruit punch, relaxed for a spell and set off back down the river. During our rest stop Martin wove humming birds out of palm fond and presented them to us ladies in a beautiful flower. He is just so clever. John asked to help with the rowing and was delighted to find he was an able rower. When we arrived back at Aeeshah Martin gave me a bunch of flowers he had picked and washed. He did this again for each of us ladies, so sweet! It was an excellent trip up the river.

That afternoon John and I walked around the town of

Portsmouth.

It is a delightful town, full of character and interesting old style shops. We then were able to watch a group of fishermen pull a net to shore and watched as they sorted their catch. We chatted to a Rasta who was collecting seaweed for his farming. He lives in a tree house that he built by the beach with his wife and 3 young children. We also stopped to have a look at a local artist Felix’s work. It was awesome! That evening we really enjoyed a coconut chicken curry at Blue Bay Restaurant right on the beach. The curry was amazingly good.

At 6:50am the next morning Martin/Providence was at the boat ready to take us on a

Hike into the rainforest.

The hike went along the Waitukubuli National Trail. We were to hike section 11, which is reputed to be one of the hardest stretches. Waitukubuli comes from the Carib Indians. (Dominica is the only place they are still found) The word means, “Tall and Fair is her body “ and is referring to the country: mountain/tall, Fair/white clouds at the peaks.

There were 5 of us, John and I, JP and Susan and David. Again Martin took us in his boat, which he had at the park office. Off we went at quite a clip. He pointed to the 2 mountains above the Harbour and said we were hiking up then and down to a waterfall below. Of course I really didn’t think we would hike to the top, but we did! It was a really very arduous hike up. It was so humid that my glasses were clouded up and I couldn’t wear them. We went up and up and up stopping periodically to hear about different plants and their uses. Martin picked lemon grass, bay leaves and time, cutting cinnamon from the bark and giving them to us to take back for our cooking or to make into teas that he explained how to make. We saw a pair of the green parrots found in Dominica, (see on the flag), and numerous other birds including humming birds which were so tiny they were more like butterflies. The path was extremely wet, muddy and slick as it had poured the day before.  In places it was virtually straight up we had to climb and it was necessary to use the trees and roots to pull yourself up. Martin cut us a walking stick, which I found was essential I would stick it into the mud and found it much easier to balance.

The rain forest was magnificent, the ferns, likens, bromeliads, flowers, fungus and differing levels of trees kept the atmosphere almost air-conditioned but it was still sooooooo humid and hot. I was soaked in sweat and so was everyone else! We were also covered in mud! John thought I looked hilarious and kept saying “if only your colleagues could see you now!” At each of our longer pit stops Martin produced a snack, the 1st was grapefruit skinned and cut in half ready to suck the goodness from with slices of coconut that he had just prepared. The 2nd was fig bananas, which were divine. He explained this was to keep our electrolyte levels up. I must agree that it really helped me. We were able to get water from the fresh spring water available if we wanted. The views from the top were fantastic. We could see across the bay where Aeeshah was to the next bay and see Guadeloupe in the distance. Plus see the other side of Dominica to Atlantic shore. We did 2 major climbs up and several major climbs down and walked along ridges in between.

The downhill was even steeper and was extremely slick and slippery. The only way to go down was to grip the trees and roots, slip, slide, swing and concentrate on where your feet landed. Martin was way ahead most of the time with John just behind, with normally David behind him, and then I followed with Susan and JP bringing up the rear. The scenery was very photogenic everywhere I looked and a hike that will never be forgotten. As we neared the bottom there was a suspension bridge over a river and falls where John went for a refreshing drink, (I really didn’t have the energy to climb down and up even for water).

Then around the bend was a place where we could swim below a waterfall in a pool. Wow! It was the most refreshing, quenching, amazingly cold swim and we all just loved it. I will never forget the feeling of satisfaction when I plunged under water and felt the heat leave my body. This was the Picard River another of Dominica 360 odd rivers. We all cleaned up as much as we could by rubbing off the mud and removing all the bits and pieces that had attached to our clothes and shoes. Martin used river rocks he explained that this is what they use to clean clothes and even themselves with. He also spent his time cleaning beautiful Birds of Paradise flowers that he had picked for us ladies (he didn’t swim as he wasn’t over heated). Further along Martin had his mini van parked to transport us back to town where he stopped so we could buy rotis and fish and meat patties for lunch. I got John to buy them for our dinner, as I knew I’d be too shattered to cook.  It was only noon but felt like we had been gone all day. We spent the afternoon relaxing, doing a few chores and swimming to cool off. It was a wonderful day that I highly recommend to anyone passing this way.

The next day we had agreed to go for a day tour with Susan and JP with Martin as our guide. We were picked up at 8:30 and spent the day touring. We visited a bay leaf/rum “factory” where we had the process explained to us. Dominica exports Bay Rum from this factory.

Our route went along and between the different bays, Douglas being the 1^st. We would stop to see the wonderful scenery. One stop at the cold volcano – Cold Soufriere

Was very interesting. Its most striking feature was its smell. Sulfur is quite unforgettable.

We saw many gardens growing just all-different types of fruits and vegetable: dasheen, taro root, yams and sweet potatoes to name a few. We stopped to have refreshments at a bar in the hills where we learned to play dominoes. Martin showed us a balsa boat, which is built from the local balsa trees. All along the roadside were beautiful flowers, David’s Orchid and the Begonias being my favourites.

Lunch was at a beachside bar in Vielle Case (old house) where we enjoyed Creole fish and Palou a local dish. My favourite village name was Dos d’ Ans, which means back of a donkey. We also stopped at a few beaches where I was really pleased to find some wonderful shells.

The most scenic stop was at

Red Rock.

It is as its name suggests red rocks all around and as it is a cliff face the scene was magnificent.

One of the last stops stop was to the

Hampstead Estate

To see the old ruins from where they used to make rum from the sugar cane production. Personally I found it very sad that the historical estate has been left to rot. It was there that we had a swim in the river before heading back to Portsmouth. After returning John and I went ashore to get the last few items we needed before an early morning departure. I also said goodbye to the little white dog:(

At 7:00am we went into the

Saturday market

To buy fresh fruit and veg for our journey. The market is excellent. All the farmers are there with just about any type of fruit, vegetable along with fresh fish and eggs.

Off we set for southern Dominica hoping for a fast sail to Rousseau

Only to be disappointed. The wind would not co-operate! We finally arrived and picked up a mooring buoy opposite Sea Cats place. However it was not what we expected as it turned out to be another anchorage from hell! We needed to go ashore to get some pads for the engine. It has a persistent leak of oil that John soaks up by using large pads under the engine. The swell in the anchorage was HUGE and by the time it neared the shore breakers were rolling up the rocks. Just getting in the dingy was a feat, I used the hoists hanging from the arch to swing and drop into the dingy. From the dingy to the dock was an exercise in agility, which we both passed. Off we went and bought the engine it’s much needed pads and had a stroll around the town of

Rousseau.

The town seemed quite charming but as it was later on a Saturday most places were closed or closing.

On our return to the boat we found that the swell had increased, but we hoped that as the boat faced into it we would ride over the top and not have the side on roll where the boat canters from side to side at a crazy angle. We managed to have a swim and settled down for a relaxing evening. However as the evening progressed we heard this sound like thunder and a roaring coming from one of the buildings along the shore. This continued to periodically happen, a thunder boomed, a roar from someone through a microphone and then a noise similar to rhythmic drumming coming from a powerful sound system. We assumed someone was messing with his or her sound system, like experimenting. By later that evening when this thunder boomed, a roar sounded and drums were beaten a voice began to preach. At least from a distance it sounded to us like a preacher carrying on. Meanwhile the boat was turned side on to the swell and we started to roll then the boat would swing and would face the swell and we would pitch up and down.  It was not relaxing but we were hopeful that the seas would lie down during the night, the wind decrease and what ever the noise was it would stop. Off to bed we went.

By the middle of the night the boat was swaying violently at times from side to side, pitching up and down like a crazy rocking horse and the noise had developed into a full blown screaming, booming affair. We were awake most of the night. At one point we would hear, “Satan is in you!!!!!! Satan is in you!!!!!SatanSatanSatan!!!! ” then would follow “repentrepentrepentrepent!!!!!!REPENT!!!!REPENT!!!!REPENT!!!!”

It was just out right lunacy, all I can think is that there was a full-blown exorcism going on with a crazed, religious zealot conducting the affair. And it didn’t stop till 5:00am!

We managed an hour or so of sleep and then left as soon as we could even though the weather was not in our favor. Off we headed to Martinique

But with a SW wind it was a slow tedious day’s travel. Our plan had been to sail down the east coast however this proved to be near impossible as we neared the Martinique coast the seas, current and wind were against us. Meanwhile a large, blue, cat that was sailing near us and having similar problems hailed us on channel 16. He wanted to know if we had any knowledge of the west coast, which of course we didn’t. The cruising guide doesn’t even mention the windward shore. Between us we decided to head for a bay on the windward, west coast, as we would be able to find a calm anchorage for the night. After many hours of pushing the boat we finally made it into the bay at 5:30pm just in time before we lost the light. It turned out to be a wonderfully sheltered, beautiful bay called

Havre de la Trinite.

After a good night’s rest, the 1st in a few nights, we set off for the south of Martinique.

The day was spent sailing along Martinique’s west coast in wonderful conditions.  There are waterfalls that fall into the sea from huge cliffs and long, long stretches of white sandy beaches, very lovely all of which we would have missed on the east coast.

At one stage I was just gazing out at the long swell that we were coasting over when there was a spout of water. “John, I see a whale!! Look over there!” at that moment up came another spout followed by the whale himself jumping out, up and over the waves. The depth was around 200 feet and it was just off the southeastern side of Martinique so it was an unusual to see whales. It was a lucky sighting.

About a half hour later when we were just sailing by some fishermen the rods went off. John bounded to the large reel and brought in a wonderful tuna. Over on the second rod he found a barracuda, which he let go. He was very happy with his catch of a tuna.

The anchorage for the night was Mouilliage de Ste Anne which again was a large, calm, anchorage lined by white beaches and homes.

Bright and early we set off for St Lucia.

The plan was to sail to the town of

Soufriere next to the Pitons.

Again it was a wonderful day’s sailing. Aeeshah flew along at an average of 6.4knots, quite amazing the speed we were going. We arrived early and were helped to a mooring by a local. This mooring was located right next to the local village. At first we were not too pleased to be in everyone’s backyard but it proved to be very entertaining. There were villagers up to all sorts, repairing a boat by using a thick log from a tree and a machete to fashion it into the perfect fit for a rib to the boat. Fishermen busy with nets, housewives with laundry and cleaning yards, children playing everywhere, cricket in the street, pigs along the shoreline, goats herded back to pens, people arguing, one very, large, lady wearing only yellow shorts was having a full scale fight with her neighbors. There was even men defecting in the rocks, of course there weren’t any women doing that! The scenery was also colorful with the dramatically high, green, peaks and the deep blue, azure, sea. Yes, we enjoyed the evening’s entertainment.

 

The next destination was

St Vincent and the Grenadines

However we planned to by pass the big island and arrive in Bequia.

Setting off at 6:30 we knew we had 10-12 hours of sailing ahead of us. It was and is reputed to be a difficult passage. The seas lived up to their reputation and were very large plus we had them behind us.

I was just relaxing and watching the horizon and the swell I saw a large, dark shape fly through the water towards us. “Oh my god what is that?” I exclaimed. We looked over the side and there it was swimming parrell to the boat. It was not a dolphin as it had a rounded head, was around 15 feet long and was dark skinned. It had to be a breed of whale. It continued to swim along side for several minutes and then vanished into the depths.

It was not surprising that as we made the St Vincent coast, about 5 miles out, there was a loud noise, BANG! which I thought was something else falling in the cabin, but proved to be a large bolt, that was part of the auto pilot hardware, snapping in half. Once again we were with out an autopilot. John and I knew our best hope of getting a new 4inch by 1/2inch bolt was in Bequia so on we went with John steering most of the way and 3 hours later we arrived in

Admiralty Bay, Bequia.

That day we sailed 63 miles in 10 hours and we passed our 3,000th mile on Aeeshah. After cleaning up and having a swim we locked up and headed in for a much-anticipated meal. After locking the dingy to the dock I handed John the keys and the whole keying fell apart! What were we going to do? We had to have those keys. So with the help of some drunken fellow cruisers who shone a torch under the dock, John had to strip to his undies, climb under the dock and sift through the sand, (in the dark), for the keys. After much effort he was able to retrieve them. What a relief, so he then pulled on his clothes and off we went for dinner.

Bequia is a wonderful island and very beautiful too. We have visited twice before when chartering in St Vincent and the Grenadine and so were very familiar with the town and the anchorage. We bought a replacement bolt for the autopilot, which John modified with his grinder. Then we were back in action. We had decided to spend 3 nights there so as to catch up with chores and such, We also enjoyed a lovely walk up to Mount Pleasant and the hill above for a fabulous view across the other islands. The bread boat visited every morning and John enjoyed the croissants for breakfast and baguette for lunch.

Off we set and had a wonderful sail to

 

Union Island where we anchored in Chatham Bay

for the night, (another favourite from the past). There Valerie who runs one of the beach establishments greeted us. We agreed to go ashore for dinner at her place. Dinner was Mai Mai with seasoned rice, salad, cooked banana and breadfruit, which was wonderful. We had our excellent meal while watching the sun go down over the bay.

Grenada

Sunday, May 12^th we sailed the final leg of our journey to Grenada. Again it was a wonderful sail averaging 6.1 knots, 36.6 miles in 6 miles only using the engine for ½ an hour. We passed Kick em Jenny the active underwater volcano with out even a ripple from her. Our stop for the night was Beausejour Bay.

We have travelled 3,080miles since we left and have visited 15 countries, met many wonderful people and loved every minute of it.

Monday saw us checked in to Grenada, our home for the next several months and anchored in the main town of St George.

 The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.