Gustavia, St. Barths

Today we had an active day! We both worked out up on the FB on the bike trainer, enjoying the island scenery and the beauty of the yachts on the water. After showering and coffee, we went into town so that we could see the stores actually open (yesterday they were closed tighter than a drum!), and did a bit of shopping. We walked about Gustavia again, stopping for a light lunch at Bar de L’oubli St. Barth. Ah, more French food!!

Walking the streets of Gustavia

We got some wines at the Cellar du Governour, and some marine park vouchers for diving. Apparently you have to pay per dive here by buying tickets for specific sites at the Marine Park office. There are mooring buoys on all the dive sites, so it is quite easy to find the sites when out in your dinghy. We went out and did a great dive on a sunken tug at Le Pain de Sucre in 90’, as well as another slightly shallower spot closer in to the jutting outcrop of rocks near there. Lots of large lobster, plenty of snapper and reef fish from small sharpnose pufferfish to trunkfish, to angels, blue runners, parrotfish, trumpetfish and dories. 

We relaxed over a early dinner at La Repaire, (fabulous wahoo tartare!) where we also discovered that they had wifi internet access. Ron downloaded e-mail and we called Ally, who is in WI this past weekend to be with Karyn’s folks. (Internet access has been spotty, so forgive me when the blog isn't updated as often!!)

St. Barth!

We left St. Martin this morning after a rolly night on anchor in Anse Marcel. The cove where the Radisson is located is almost unbearable, because the island's landfill on the far northern side of the adjoining mountain range caught fire and has been smoldering for the last couple of days. The smoke has made its way into the sheltered area around the marina basin and resort, so it smells of nasty gritty smoke. (Not that I would know, although Ron has been very unhappy with the smokey smell!) So, we decided to head out and find fresher air outside in the anchorage. Definitely better smelling, but much less protected.

St. Barth's in the distance as we head out from St. Martin

 We pulled anchor this morning at 0700 and pulled into the outside anchorage at Gustavia, St. Barthelemy at 0930. Of course, tt’s Sunday, so most stores -- practically everything -- was closed when when went in to the port capitainerie to clear in. Ron was surprised by the cost though…we thought the prices listed in the cruising guide were for the 3-month/typical 90-day cruising permit, but here…it’s by the day! And, for some reason, they don’t go by length here, but instead they determine the fees by meters squared (length times beam) times .5 euro or some such equation. Ouch!! It came out to $34 a day for a boat our size -- which means no real extended stay here for a month or two! Darn!

In any event, I’m totally excited to be here…it’s quite quaint and, like so many of the islands, has a convoluted history of European settlement: it was discovered by Columbus in 1493 and named after his brother Bartolomeo, and settled by French settlers from St. Kitt's. It was taken over by the British in 1758 and held briefly. It's also the only Caribbean island owned by the Swedes -- the British gave it to the Swedes in exchange for trade rights in Gothenberg in 1784. Swedish influences are still seen to this day, in many street names as well as the town of Gustavia itself, named in honor of King Gustav III. Finally, in 1878, Sweden sold it back to the French. Today, most of the inhabitants are of Breton or Normandy descent. It’s also known that on occasion, celebrities come here, but … rather doubt that we’ll see any big name folks! 

Some of the historic buildings around the harbor (closed on Sunday!)

Gustavia's clock tower on the hillside

Right now, the harbor is packed tight with lots of big yachts boats stern-to, med-moor style, all seemingly in danger of rolling against each other. The larger mega-yachts (like Roman Abramovich's 538' Eclipse) can't fit in Gustavia's small harbor, so they're out on anchor in the outside bay. (Ok, his Eclipse is definitely bigger than our Eclipse!!) We’re on anchor ourselves, out by Pointe Du Precipe on the north side of the shipping channel, so we get a great view of Saba and Statia to our south, as well as the houses on the island's steep mountainside above the anchorage. We’re actually right on approach to the St. Bart’s airstrip…Twin Otters and small engine craft line up on final right over the boat, heading through a gap in the hills to make their landings. Fun to watch, and bet it’d be even more fun to be aboard!  

Just a few of the yachts in Gustavia's inner harbor

Eclipse on the far left, Equinox three boats to the right...

Tonight was a quiet dinner aboard (roast beef and vegetables) on the back deck with a good bottle of wine, with Jimmy Buffet playing in the  background! Ah...a new port, we love it! What's not to like? 

Creme de la creme!

The last couple of days post-Carnival have been quiet. We did a bit of provisioning at the US Supermarche, although we encountered more difficulties than success in finding some basic necessities. Do you realize how many different types of cream the French have?? We had no idea!! We were in search of half-and-half for coffee, but despite there being dozens of different types of cream available, we couldn’t find exactly what we were looking for. 

Crème....

...Crème...

...And more crème...

...and yet even more....

...Crème...but not half and half.

We found Crème Anglaise, Crème liquide Legere, Crème Entière de Normandie, Crème fraiche, Preparation for crème Brulee, Preparation pour Pots de Crème Chocolat, and even cream for cheese sauce “sauce fromage”, but all of these were fairly mystifying. They seemed heavy and quite thick (certainly didn't sound like liquid!) and since we couldn’t read French, we were stuck.  Even the photos on the packaging didn’t help!! (What the hell is crème liquid Legere??) I finally bought some "Fluide & Legere (3%)", only to discover, yes, it was incredibly thick and certainly not coffee creamer! The milk aisle was no help either, since there was simply a choice of whole, skim or “demi-skim” -- 2% -- milk. Exploring the aisle with the coffee showed us a few containers of .... only powdered creamer. (Which was NOT going to work here on the Island of Fabulous Feasting!) Alas…no half-n-half! Clearly we need a lesson in French from Muriel!

The remainder of the day was devoted to dinghy exploration. We took Eclipse around the north coast of St. Martin to Orient Bay and explored a bit more there. We stopped at Ilet Pinel, a tiny islet which is a nature preserve on the northern edge of the Baie Oriental. There are walking trails through the island’s coastal marine environment, which “shelters numerous species of flora and fauna, many of which are rare and endangered”.

The beach at Islet Pinel...gorgeous!

It’s quite pretty, with almond trees, coconut trees, machineel trees, tamarinds and sea grape fringing the shoreline areas of the island. The trails circle the island, which start and end at the island’s area of three little beach clubs and restaurants on the west side. There is a gorgeous beach area, with chaise lounges and umbrellas where folks off the day boats & ferries swim, paddleboard, and frolic for the day. We didn't get to stay all that long, but it's a place we'd like to explore more when we have the chance!

Looking west towards St. Martin

Carnival in Grand Case

The electronics guys came bright and early this morning, replacing our VHF radio aboard Eclipse, rather than fixing the old one, as it was fried. Not that the poor guy made it easy on himself; he put in a new Raymarine radio rather than find a duplicate Icom (which we knew was available, as we'd seen it at Budget Marine) so the template wasn’t the same. The guy had to pull off the steering wheel to have room for installation access, then file down the fiberglass around the edges enough to install the new unit. A lot of work! But, it's in, looks great, and more imporantly, works well, so we back in the VHF l and with the dinghy. Very important to have that working! 

Spelling is not their strong point, but this juice stand was jammin'!

Tuesday was basically a bust, as we hung out in downtown Marigot for most of the day waiting for the Carnival parade to come through town. We went via dinghy, and were there early -- way, way, way too early -- as it turned out. We walked along the waterfront, and since we had the time, walked several blocks to a hardware store on the northern outskirts of town, trying to find a bolt to better secure the dinghy spotlight toggle switch. We then spent the remainder of time sitting in cafes, reading or having water, wine, beer or iced tea. To no avail....things were sleepy and quiet, and we finally gave up and hour and a half after the posted parade time…clearly things run on island time here. Where the main parade was, I have no idea!

A grouping of mail boxes for one small alley off Rue de Hollandie in Marigot.
Seems that folks scrawl the names of all inhabitants on the boxes, so they are covered in names.

We went back to the boat and relaxed before dinner. We went by dinghy to Grand Case, where (finally!) there was a great Carnival celebration in progress…but of course, I'd forgotten my camera!! Augh! All the stores had tables of their wares out on display alongside street vendors of all kinds, selling everything from clothing, jewelry to henna tattoos, to crepes made while you waited; it was a vibrant and fun scene. We actually had reservations at The Fish Pot, so after threading our way through all the carnival-goers, we had another great dinner. Escargot (my favorite!), French onion soup, fillet of red snapper and lobster thermidor…needless to say, there was no room for dessert!

Serendipitously, we timed our departure to coincide with a lovely carnival parade going past in full regalia: brightly colored, beaded and feathered costumes, complete with head dresses, depicting everything from tropical birds with iridescent wings to glistening sea horses, with everyone dancing  -- a sort of shuffling, with sliding of feet and swaying of hips, arms and shoulders -- to the beat of the music of the huge drums and horns.  It was fun to see, as  folks of all ages were dressed up. and joining the parade. The smallest children in costume were kept in line – literally – each happily shuffling/walking/dancing along, and all clutching this long string that was stretched out along the parade length, to make sure no one was lost or left behind. Very cute! From gray-haired grandmothers in shawls to tiny babies in carriages, everyone was out enjoying the live music. Different bands were set up along the street at various intervals, all keeping the party vibe alive! FUN! Finally, a bit of carnival to wrap up the evening! 

Slow days

View of Grand Case as we approached in the dinghy

The past couple of days have been slow days for us. We were waiting on the electronics guy to come fix the dinghy radio, but we found out he wasn’t coming until  tomorrow. SO….we took the dinghy over to Grand Case…it’s all so close by boat, and what takes a half-hour or more in the car is only a few minutes by dinghy. Fun! We docked at the erstaz dinghy dock, walked about Grand Case, and had a late lunch/early dinner at one of the lolos overlooking the beach. 

Chicken, fresh red snapper and ribs on the barbie!

Ron said the smell of everything roasting was mouth-watering!

Lolos are narrow barbeque huts with picnic tables, serving an assortment of inexpensive food. Their barbeques run full time, smoking away, crammed with racks of ribs, chicken, conch, fresh snapper and lobster, tempting all who pass by. The plates are served with plenty of sides to go around: mac and cheese, fried plantains, corn on the cob, salad, peas and rice, cole slaw, johnny cake among others. There was lots on the menu that we didn’t try, like the fried christophene (although I have cooked that before) or the saltfish cakes, but what we did have was quite good! 

What is that last one??

We returned to the boat in the late afternoon. We managed to run a few errands (get fuel for the dinghy and get a few items at the Supermarche) the freshened up a bit and relaxed. After a light dinner of baguette, une plateau de fromage (fabulous assorted cheese plate) and a crème de pate, we took the dinghy back over to Grand Case for a glass of wine at Il Nettuna Restaurant and a walk through the town on a lovely warm evening.  A full day!

Hiking Pigeon Pea Hill (aka the mountain!)

It's so nice to be home! After unpacking and re-acclimating to the island time, (one hour earlier than EST) we got back into live-aboard mode. We had the boat detailed while we were gone, and Sun, our detailing guy, did a fabulous job. The water was beading up everywhere after the rain last night. We spent a bit of the morning wiping down the boat, and Equinox looks fabulous, gleaming and lovely! We got her back in living order -- putting chairs back out on the aft cockpit, getting the sun shades back up, getting the bicycle trainer set up on the flybridge, making water, and doing other small boat chores. 

Ron at work, doing his usual wipe down of the boat

We then went on a walk/hike up the hillside behind the marina, following the steeply pitched road up Pigeon Pea Hill. The greater part of the hills here in St. Martin are very dry, with huge fissured rocks and covered low tough scrub. The hill apparently got its name from the amount of pigeon peas that were grown here; the main crops for many years in the past were pigeon peas, corn or maize, and sweet potatoes. Pigeon peas here are tall, shrubby plants, with lots of long pods hanging from them.

Part of the road heading up. It doesn't adequately show the steep incline!

One of the numerous goat tracks heading up the hill off road.

Profusion of flowers along the road. That's Ron
hightailing it down the road ahead of me.

Later that night we arranged for a rental a car, for provisioning and such before we head out of the marina. We drove into Marigot late Monday morning and walked around downtown a bit. Again, visiting the market area, and having a fabulous brunchfast at Serafina’s...mouth-watering choices abounded! Take a look:

Fruit tarts and chocolate pasteries of all imagination! 

Row upon row!

Not to mention fabulous bread, right out of the oven

A veritable food frenzy...we settled on a fruit bowl to share, a smoked salmon baguette for me and some French toast for Ron. Fabulous!! Afterwards, when we were walking about the square, we ran into a group of Harley riders from Virginia and Maryland -- not exactly what one would expect here in the islands! Apparently they came on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship with their own bikes and are able to ride around at the different islands where the ship stops. (Ron has decided that that is the only cruise he is ever likely to take!) It was fun to see all the bikes though! Ride on!

Back to the Island!

Here we are, back to the island yet again! After a hectic whirlwind of two weeks stateside, from Florida to Colorado to Wisconsin and back to Florida once again, we are now back aboard Equinox. Happily, all our doctors appointments, correspondence obligations, and visits to family went well. Despite the frantic pace, it was absolutely delightful to be with everyone again and we thoroughly enjoyed the time together. Ron also got the recalcitrant first stage of his favorite dive regulator repaired, and we gathered some needed boat items, including a new handheld VHF that floats (and isn't just submersible! :). I also had the chance to pick up a copy of the March issue of PassageMaker, so I finally got to see my cruising article on Bermuda in print! 

Thus yesterday we were up early and off to FLL airport for our flight back. As always, we had Equinox's current St. Martin cruising permit with us, thankfully, since that was necessary to prove why we didn't have a return ticket to the States. With a copy duly made by the ticket agent, we were good to go! (Note to self: remember not to travel on any Saturday in March when spring break travelers are thronging the airports! Yikes! The crowds were incredible!) The flight was easy, and since we had only carry-on luggage, we didn't have to wait for any checked bags before getting a taxi to the north side of the island.

Our long day of travel was rewarded with a gorgeous, warm, still evening enjoyed on Equinox's back deck with a lovely French bordeaux wine and cheese. We lingered over the sunset listening to music before we went to dinner at Calypso, a small restaurant across from the Radisson resort here. Truly French in ambience and attitude, we were treated to utterly delicious food and somewhat supercilious service. (Ahhh, the French!) We happily shared a delicate crab and avocado salad, before I enjoyed fresh ceviche on a bed of greens, while Ron had tender slices of roast duck with amazing cheese-crusted baked potatoes. (Ahhh, the French!) It was a great dinner!

When we returned to the boat, the air was so still that the water was like dark glass. The sky was clear, and the palms weren't even whispering the tiniest bit. There wasn't even any sound of water lapping at at the hull, so all I could hear was the soft sound of crickets chirping in the hills around the marina. It struck me as quite a contrast from the frozen temps and blustery snow that we encountered in Colorado and Wisconsin this past week! Amazingly serene and what a welcome back!     

During the night though, disrupting the quiet, we received two lengthy tropical deluges. We both jumped up scrambling to close hatches and windows, and thankfully, we were quick! Without any wind, the rain was coming down -- straight down -- in buckets!! It was pouring off the flybridge around the back cockpit in sheets, creating a curtain of water that looked like we were trapped inside a waterfall. This was no typically quick tropical shower either....it poured for quite some time, before stopping, when things amazingly returned to its previous quiet stillness. Welcome back!