Photo Gallery of the Caribbean Windward Islands,
2/11/07-5/09/07
Click on the thumbnails below to see an enlargement.
Martinique
The anchorage
in Fort-de-France, Martinique.
We loved
provisioning in the French islands. Our regular haul included things
like rum, fresh baguettes and an assortment of fruits and vegetables from
the Caribbean and abroad (the French goat cheese selection is already in the fridge).
We experienced
the best sailing conditions of our lives while in the Caribbean and
enjoyed every island passage, all but one of which we made as a day trip.
Gyatso
enjoyed the sailing conditions in the Eastern Caribbean as much as we did.
Gyatso
under sail in the Caribbean windward islands.
St. Lucia
A 'pirate ship'
on the horizon creates an image of days gone by as it sails off into the
sunset on St. Lucia. This ship from the movie Pirates of the
Caribbean is actually used for day tours, but looked convincing to us
from a distance.
Looking back
toward Rodney Bay as we sail south.
On our return
trip as we headed north to Antigua for the start of the Arc Europe rally,
we stopped off at Rodney Bay for a haul-out and a bottom job.
After just one
week, Gyatso was ship-shape and the bottom was ready for an
Atlantic passage.
We made minor
repairs to the rudder which has shown signs of moisture since we purchased
the boat in Maine in 2005.
Gyatso
on a national park mooring in the Pitons, St. Lucia. We had sun
awnings made to shade the foredeck and mid-ships from the scorching
tropical sun. With the constant trade winds blowing, this kept the
cabin at a comfortable temperature and also protected several of the key
opening ports from the numerous rain showers that passed in the day and
night.
A view of the
Pitons as we leave St. Lucia and sail south to the Grenadines.
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Gyatso on a
mooring in Admiralty Bay, Bequia. This spot was on the short list of
our favorite places in the Caribbean.
Our mooring in
Bequia was located just off the Frangipani Hotel's dinghy dock.
Admiralty Bay,
Bequia.
"No
problem, mon!" David shows off his "cruisers haircut"
for Lisa, his new stylist. On the northbound trip, he went even
shorter than this, after a visit to Mr. Bigg's barbershop in Bequia.
We spent
several wonderful days anchored in the Tobago Cays with many swimming and
snorkeling opportunities in the gorgeous, turquoise waters of the reef.
There is
nothing but a horseshoe-shaped coral reef between the anchorage and the
open Atlantic in the Tobago Cays. This is what we envisioned
Caribbean cruising would be like.
David chills in
the shade of the sun awnings onboard Gyatso in the Tobago Cays.
In Bequia, we
visited a sea turtle rescue center run by volunteers.
At the turtle
rescue center in Bequia, they try to increase survival rates by raising
young hatchlings in tanks and then releasing them into the wild.
The dinghy dock
at the Frangipani Hotel was hopping with traffic, including 'three men in
a tub' in the background, at the height of the sailing season.
We took Rinky
out to watch the Bequia Easter Regatta races in Admiralty Bay.
Once of the
Easter Regatta children's events is a race of home-built boats.
These boys show off their prize-winning entry.
"...and
they're off!" The children's race begins along the beach.
We volunteered to serve as the finish line and ended up on a few rescue
missions toward the end of the race.
It was great
fun watching the Bequia Easter Regatta participants from the beach.
The Bequia
Easter Regatta sailboats are double-enders, just like Gyatso.
Several participants admired our baot as they sailed by in the anchorage.
Iba tackled our
brightwork while we stayed in Bequia for two weeks on the trip back north
to Antigua for the start of the ARC Europe Rally. He did an
outstanding job, and it was really nice having him onboard during our
stay.
On the way
south, we bypassed Wallilabou Bay on St. Vincent, a screen set for Pirates
of the Caribbean. We did manage to stop on the way north and get
a picture of Gyatso anchored in front of tavern.
The view toward
the Caribbean Sea from the island of St. Vincent.
Grenada
View of the
northern shore of Grenada from "Almost Paradise" restaurant, a
beautiful spot we visited on a Sunday drive.
Lisa's parents
visited us in Grenada for two weeks. They stayed in a nice hotel on
the Grand Anse beach while we stayed aboard Gyatso at a marina nearby.
Betsy and Glen
enjoyed exploring the islands many beautiful beaches, including this one
on the south side of Grenada.
We all enjoyed
sampling the local cuisine and relaxing in the peaceful Caribbean island
setting.
Lobster was a
common theme for several meals out with Lisa's parents, including this
lobster dinner for Glen's birthday celebration.
The Little
Dipper was on the short list of favorite restaurants. Joan, the
friendly owner/chef, creates simple and delicious meals in a beautiful
setting overlooking Hog Island just across from our marina on Clark's
Court Bay.
No trip to
Grenada would be complete without a visit to the Saturday market for fresh
fruit and spices. David bought sour sop and made delicious smoothies
with it. Lisa found lemon grass and made lemon grass iced tea when
we were back onboard the boat.
The Clark's
Court Bay marina, located in a rural setting, was a perfect place to keep
the boat while Lisa's parents visited. This marked the southernmost
point of our Caribbean voyage.
