| Travelog
Twentytwo—May–June,
2003 Saba, although quite small, rises 3,000 feet vertically from the sea. Almost inaccessible until recent years, the only access inland was by 800 steps cut into the rock on the west shore. Everything unloaded from ships had to be carried by hand up these steps to the village of Bottom, 600 ft. above. Finally, in 1958 a road “that couldn’t be built” was completed by the locals from Ft. Bay on the south side to Bottom and the village of Windwardside at 1200 ft. altitude. The island is spotlessly clean with villages of whitewashed, red-roofed cottages, cobblestone streets and incredible vistas of the ocean below. We took a taxi to Windwardside for lunch, spent the day exploring the small village and caught a ride back down with a local medical student. Most of the population are descendants of the original Dutch settlers and Holland is still the mother country. Being off the beaten track and lacking the usual tropical beaches, Saba doesn’t attract too many cruisers and you must use one of the Marine Park moorings. Saba attracts a few tourists, a lot of deep diving enthusiasts and the island boasts a new international medical school. While not a great anchorage area, the island was definitely worth the detour involved. Next it was off to St. Eustatia
(Statia), 15 miles to the southeast; another small Dutch Island with
a colorful history. During the late 1700s, Statia flourished as a port
with officially approved smuggling and became the Caribbean’s
first duty-free shopping mall. Most of the original warehouses and lower
old town are in ruin but after a climb up the Old Slave Road, we did
have a nice walk through upper Oranjestad with a visit to the restored
Fort Oranje and the local museum. The next morning
it was off bright and early to St. Kitts, 18 miles away.
Due to all of the construction
at the marina area of Basseterre, most cruisers have been avoiding
the area in recent years. After clearing Customs at the east end of
the harbor, we decided to take a slip for two nights in the marina,
which is located directly downtown. Otherwise, it is a wet and wild
dinghy ride from the anchorage area. The following day we had
contracted with “Bouncer”, one of the local taxi drivers
for a 3-hour tour of the island. The road along the coast runs north
through miles and miles of sugar cane fields. There is a 150-year old
narrow gauge railroad circling the island, still used to haul the cane
for processing; but it has also now been converted into a tourist ride.
In the old days, all the individual plantations were privately owned,
but are now nationalized and run by a government co-op. Our first stop
was at Romney Manor, a beautiful old 10-acre estate garden. This is
now the home for Caribelle Batik, which is built on the foundations
of the original estate building. The next stop was Brimstone Hill, a sprawling British fort, started in 1690, and now undergoing a painstaking restoration. Known as the “Gibraltar of the Caribbean”, it covers acres of land and after a prolonged siege in the late 1700s, was finally captured by the French with 8000 troops against the 1000 British defenders. It offered a spectacular view of Statia and Saba to the north. Next, it was a 10-mile sail to the neighboring island of Nevis, another small island with quite a history of colonial development. A lot of old plantations, now converted into tourist lodges and restaurants and the usual assortment of restored colonial architecture. Nevis also has an incredibly beautiful beach with several good restaurants, a Four Seasons Hotel and (you guessed it) a variety of beach bars! The following morning we were off bright and early for the 28-mile trip to Monserrat with its active Soufriere volcano. We had planned to spend a few days to include an inland tour, but after a very rough and rolly night with unsettled weather, we decided to postpone our visit for a later passage. Upon departure the following morning, we discovered a major leak in our engine exhaust riser, which forced us to shut down the engine for repair and sail downwind for five miles to the next protected bay. Since the anchorage at Old Road Bay was inside the volcanic Restricted Area, we had to call the Monserrat Coast Guard for permission to anchor while we epoxied up our leak. While waiting a few hours for the epoxy to set, were informed that we could not stay overnight in the Restricted Area. Of course it was then blowing 25 kts. So, it was up-anchor under sail, beat to weather for two hours, and re-anchor back in Little Bay. Needless to say, we were out of there bright and early the next morning. After a pleasant
sail to Guadaloupe we stayed overnight for a quick market and fuel
stop and then on to Dominica. On previous passages, we had never
stopped for more than a day and had always wanted to see some of
the inland. Known as The Nature Island, with eight potentially active
volcanoes, several large waterfalls and 365 rivers, it also included
a boiling lake, hot waterfalls, sulfur springs and a crater lake.
The rest of the island is covered with rain forests and valleys
of lush vegetation. Our first stop was Portsmouth in Prince Rupert
Bay to arrange for a canoe trip up the Indian River. The next day it was off to
the capital of Roseau, a bustling town with some neat old colonial buildings
in various states of restoration. Even with the appearance of a few
cruise ships, Dominica really hasn’t been discovered as a tourist
island and from our point of view, that may not be so bad. Since we were now on a fast track to get below 12°4’ latitude, a quick overnight stop was made at St. Pierre, Martinique and then off to St. Lucia. During our last night at the Pitons in St. Lucia, we had a rather unnerving experience. At 3:00AM in very gusty conditions, we were rudely awakened when the mooring next to us broke with a 47’ sailboat still attached, and they came crashing into us. The French crew spoke no English and there was a lot of commotion in our various states of undress, but luckily, we got untangled and there wasn’t much damage. During this passage we were treated to some fabulous offwind sails (finally) with the seas and current in our favor. Off the north coast of St. Vincent we had a close encounter with three whales and luckily were hand steering at the time since they were directly in our path 100 ft. ahead. After a couple of day at
Bequia, always one of our favorite stops, it was off to the Grenadines.
By this time, we are now beginning to experience the start of numerous
tropical waves with its accompanying wind and rain. So much for further
snorkeling adventures. At Tyrell Bay, Carriacou, we once again caught
up with John & Diana on Second Kiss. More war stories, more happy
hours…and more rain! We are now anchored in the lagoon at St. George, Grenada, where we will jump off on Tuesday for the Venezuela, weather permitting. Our plans are to haul out in Puerto la Cruz and fly back to Calif. on July 9 for a few months stay. We hope to see as many of you as possible. Drop us an e-mail. We always enjoy news from the homefront. Best wishes, Steve & Pam |
