carib 032602 Tim had warned us that we probably wouldn't sleep well the first night and of course he was right. Patti and I decided to share one double berth with Scott and Debbie in the same cabin they'd had last time. Tim was up front with Bill. Little to no rocking of the boat, but still not able to sleep well.

Awoke to daylight and birds which made it impossible to go back to sleep. Shortly afterward, we heard Tim's voice and the day had began! Came topside to find Nick on board chatting away. Coffee revitalized me (with OJ for the lightweights) and we adjourned to the galley for a first course of fresh (ugly) grapefruit followed by cereal and fruit. (Patti, of course, had to try something called wheatabix. Not impressed.)

We all agreed to contribute $300 EC to a kitty and we took off in the dinghy for a stores run. Tim collected our passports for customs & immigration and we wandered into a bakery for tomorrow's breakfast. Bought some Scotch Bonnet hot sauce in a little grocery then strolled around to the waterfront of the harbor to wait for Tim.

Motored back over past Avrion to the south end of the harbor to another, larger grocery store where we loaded up a cart with fresh fruit, veggies, crackers, cheese, bread cold meats, yogurt, OJ, milk and munchies. Enough for the next few days of occasional meals, breakfasts, and snacks. The bagger even drove the cart down the street and over to the jetty where we loaded all the bags into the panga (constantly debating whether or not there would be any room left for us!)

We all squeezed in and using an efficient hand-to-hand method, moved the groceries from the panga to the galley. Packed everything away then decided to head over to Pigeon Island (not really an island, just a long peninsula with a fort on the end.) But first! Banana daiquiris with Nick on his boat.

He's all full of his excitement about his upcoming 2-year adventure. Sailing up to Toronto is the first step. He's expected to arrive there in mid-Sept and join us in ABQ for ballooning. His boat is well laid out for a residence. Even has two leather easy chairs which share a big ottoman. Very comfortable with a full shower and lots (relatively) of counter space. Nick, of course is the king of 'Rhum' and just like fiesta, we were all toasted before noon. Great drinks with lots of fresh banana and coconut creme. We giggled and wandered our way back to Avrion and had a hilarious time hoisting each other up on the bow. We'd agreed to meet Nick at a restaurant on Pigeon Island for lunch where they had roties, a sort of burrito, meats and veggies wrapped in a tortilla-like bread.

We motored over in the dinghy and paid our entrance fees to the Nat'l park ranger. The restaurant was charming with a big front porch and tables under shade. Patti even found a kitty to pet. The roties were yummy! We tried two of each kind they had and ended up with lamb, fish, and veggie roties. The curry was just right and we were all happily sated.

We marched up the trail from the restaurant to the ruins of Ft Rodney, abandoned in 1782. Also provided a magnificent view of Rodney Bay and the ocean. We still wanted to motor down the island aways to our overnight anchorage in Marigot so instead of climbing more hills we cruised back to the boat and made ready to sail.

The routine includes collecting any misc bits like clothes, cushions, loose lines, etc. closing portholes and moving the dinghy to the back and being sure it is well attached. A pleasant trip down the coast. Tim left the boat on auto-pilot a good portion of the time which frees him to wander around and tell stories (don't expect he'll run out of them anytime soon.)

Surprising range of architecture in the homes perched on the steep sides of these islands. Some are almost Chinese, others are Italian villas and all of them are brightly colored (including roofs) terra-cotta, turquoise, yellow, all surrounded by the greens of imported palms and native vegetation. The island's, of course (what did I expect?) are very reminiscent of the Galapagos.

We passed Castries which is not nearly as pretty as Rodney Bay and pulled into a long thin bay with cliffs on both sides. Very protected feeling. We took a swim off the boat hilariously laughing as the bottom-heavy women struggled to climb back into the dingy and back up onto Avrion. We learned the ins and outs of showering off--HOT water! then quickly change clothes and went ashore to dinner.

We dined in a lovely waterfront hotel named Doolittle's where we arrived in time for happy hour and got 2 drinks for the price of one! Rum punches all around! We all had fish except for Debbie who was feeling a little peaked and headachy. A charming pair of beggars added to the charm of the restaurant: a sweet orange cat and a large muscular Doberman worked as a tag team for either attention or food. The kitty, sensing a soft touch, jumped between Patti and Tim and sat very patiently waiting for her to offer the tidbits of Mahi Mahi from her plate. The dog eventually would replace the kitty, sticking his big head between them for scratches and rubs. We ate leisurely spending at least 3 hours. Eventually a steel drum band arrived to entertain the guests and Scott spent a few minutes chatting them up and learning how it all worked. A very pleasant evening.

Back to the boat for a nightcap and bed.

[smk]