Marigot Christmas!

Best Wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

From Robert, Trish, Owen, Elliot and Daisie Dog, woof!

We're excitedly awaiting the arrival of our friends from Minnesota. Mike, Dawn, Nora and Ian are mates from the old neighborhood in Chanhassen, our first home in the USA. They've rented a lovely holiday home here in Marigot Bay for the week. Fun!

Christening the New Spinnaker in St. Lucia

Beating to windward gets old fast. Bristol Rose has done plenty of that in the past 13 months. In anticipation of some downwind sailing across the Pacific, we had Soca Sails in Chaguaramas, Trinidad make us an asymetrical spinnaker.


These images captured our christening of the new sail and also a first for the crew; a new experience sailing with a spinnaker! Not bad for a first try in light winds, around 10 knots.

Owen and Robert hoist the new spinnaker as Elliot jumps in the dinghy to snap some shots.

Leaving Vieux Fort for The Pitons

Nice and easy, ok Elliot, time to get back onboard.

The Pitons are a spectacular sight.

Fishing village in Soufriere town at the base of Petite Piton. A stern anchor is necessary when anchored or moored off the beach.

Petite Piton in the early morning light, looking south from our mooring at "the Bat Cave".

We picked up a mooring ball in about 45 feet of water. Between us and the shore about 100 feet away, the water depth jumps rapidly to 7 feet with coral heads here and there. Once safely on the mooring ball we snorkel then explore the town of Soufriere. There's a distinctive sulphur smell in the air. They say you can snorkel over volcanic vents in the area.

St. Lucia has a dual French, English history having changed hands fourteen times!

After an early dinner in town, we spot a chorus line of cuttlefish off the dock. The picture was taken with flash a couple of feet above the water.

Schools of fish swim around the boat.

With very little wind overnight, we rolled from side to side all night as the mooring ball seemed determined to bash the side of the boat. Even running a third line from the end of the bowsprit made little difference. The mooring fee is $20 US for a 2 night minimum. One night is enough for us and we're on our way to Marigot Bay before breakfast.

A Dash of Nashville With My West Indies

The Carribean Islanders love their music and they love it played very loud and into the wee hours of the morning. Sound seems to travel better over an anchorage at 4:00am.
In the Dominican Republic and. Puerto Rico we enjoyed Salsa, the Leeward and Windward Islands imported Soca from Trinidad and Reggae from Jamaica. On hair-raising bus rides, we are comforted with gospel music in vehicles christened "God is Love" and "Jesus is on Our Side". During Carnival, Pan Bands work their symphonic steel magic along with Soca and Calypso performances. In Trinidad and Puerto Rico we were also serenaded with Karaoke. Leading up to Christmas, Trinidad rocks to parang, with a humorous twist on the Christmas theme with titles like "Santa got no wife".
We thought we had heard it all before we arrived in St Lucia. Sitting down to a local lunch in Vieux Fort the DJ cranks up the volume and out comes American Country and Western. This is not just limited to one venue, sounds of Johnny Cash and a host of the Nashville greats fill the air with classics from the past.
On Saturday, day and night, the anchorage is filled with C&W music; much more than a dash, we got the full menu until 6:00am. As we've come to expect, at full volume, making sleep restless if not impossible. The roosters' chorus is drowned out. It's 8:00am now and only the dogs are barking.

Swimming with the Turtles of the Tobago Cays

The Tobago Cays are one special place and a favorite of ours.

On our way south to Trinidad we had a wonderful time here and wanted to share the experience with our sons, Owen and Elliot.


Sitting at anchor in Mayreau this morning, the weather is not cooperating; high winds and building seas. I have been thinking that our stop in the Cays may be a disappointment. After a short beat of about an hour from Saline Bay, past Saltwhistle Bay and around the northern tip of Mayreau to the mooring area of the Cays, we found the water looks as perfect as we remembered. The boys jumped into the dinghy to secure our lines to the mooring ball and once that was done, dived off Bristol Rose into the tourquoise water.


Within minutes they were swimming with the turtles. The turtles, large and small, graze peacefully on the turtle grass. This is a marine park and they seemed perfectly comfortable with their audience. Elliot and Owen were able to gently touch their backs as they grazed on the turtle grass.


We picked the boys up in the dinghy to snorkel further out on the reef. Despite the windy conditions the water is quite clear. Trish snorkeled with a nurse shark today, although she didn't know it until later!


To finish off a perfect day in the islands we cooked fresh fish we purchased earlier from one of the local vendors who come along side in their boats. Tomorrow morning we are off to Bequia, about 20 miles north (23 degrees).

Miss Daisie

Sweet Little Lamb

Its Sunday Morning: Its hot hot hot in the tropics. Miss Daisie likes to sleep on the floor where its a little cooler.