Bequia, St. Vincent & Grenadines. Bing or Google Maps. 13.0186, -61.258

 Colors of the Caribbean everywhere; the houses, the boats and the landscape are brilliant. Vibrant energy.

 Bequia still practices whale hunting. Each year, the people of Bequia are allowed to kill up to 4 humpback whales, using a 6-man open whale boat and a traditional harpoon, fastened to a long hemp rope. This photo shows the harpoon, and lance, and some of the rope. There are two whaleboats on the island.








We found a respite from the wind at anchor in Admiralty Bay, on the leeward side of Bequia, where we anchored off gorgeous Princess Margaret beach. Nice swimming and snorkeling off the boat.  Bequia island was an exciting daysail to windward, north from Union Island.

Union Island & Tobago Cays. Bing or Google Maps 12.5951, -61.4151

These islands are part of the country of St. Vincent & the Grenadines, which is a different country from Grenada. Friends joined us for their winter vacation. 

Lots of wind, but beautiful snorkeling on the reef at Tobago Cays. Wilhelm anchored at Clifton, Union Island, with piles of discarded conch shells in the surf near the beach.

St, Lucia, West Indies. Bing or Google Maps 13.831, -61.070

St Lucia is spectacular, as the Deux Pitons rise in the distance on a beautiful clear day.

We celebrated the New Year (2011) at anchor in Rodney Bay, with fireworks exploding over the bow. The fruit seller sells directly to our boat; his own boat decorated in flags of many countries.

 

These workers are repairing landslide damge from Hurricane Tomas in the Soufriere Botanical Garden.

The Soufriere area was damaged by torrential rains, causing many landslides.

Distinctive local boats in Soufriere.



We particularly enjoyed the Tet Paul Nature Trail, along the ridge between the Deux Pitons. The trail and accompanying organic garden and other exhibits have been developed by citizens of Chateau Belair.

The local marine management agency has installed mooring buoys near the Pitons, very reasonable price.

Carriacou, Grenada, West Indies. Bing or Google Maps 12.456, -61.486

Wilhelm at anchor in Tyrrel Bay, Carriacou….There  are lots of boats in the Caribbean. We spent Christmas in this anchorage. While there, we took an island tour in a bus named “On D Move” and bought fresh bread and fruit from the “Big Mama Market” on the shore by the anchorage. (Carriacou is one of the islands of Grenada.)

Grenada (Bing or Google Maps 12.044, -61.748)

View of Port Louis marina in St. George’s, Grenada, where we spent some very pleasant days.

Rob learns about cocoa beans, and Natalie feeds a local monkey. (It is still legal to hunt monkeys for food in Grenada, so there are very few of them on the island.) We bought courtesy flags from Jules, a local flagmaker, for some of our Caribbean destinations.

BACK ONBOARD!

Grenada, Caribbean. We are back onboard Wilhelm.  We launched the boat after a week of very hard work cleaning, maintaining, replacing, and repairing various bits. Rob has done a great job maintaining the engine and batteries...and we are almost ready to set sail. Here are some photos of the launch, thanks to Emma on Daydreamer.

Wilhelm being moved from the stacker to the travel lift, then lowered in the water where we climb aboard and prepare to leave the dock and start another year of cruising!

Where Are We Now?

Wilhelm is now in storage in Grenada, Caribbean, for the 2010 hurricane season.  Rob and Natalie will visit family and friends in the USA from May through October, and return to Wilhelm late in the year.  Between January 6, and May 1, 2010, we sailed from Cape Town, South Africa, across the South Atlantic to Brazil and up the coast of South America to the Caribbean.  More than 5,500 nautical miles of sailing. 
Thanks to all friends and family for their love and support. Special thanks to those who have welcomed us into their lives when we drop anchor in diverse ports around the world.

Laarwijk, Suriname

We took the small ferry across the river, and visited Laarwijk, on the other side. At one time this area was a large sugar plantation.  When the plantation ceased operation (and we don’t know exactly when that was), the owners divided the land among the workers. The descendents of the workers live there today. The area is large, divided into orderly rectangles by sand paths and small canals.

We walked about 2 km away from the river without reaching the end, and it apparently extends beyond that, as well as that distance or greater from side to side. There are no cars. All goods are brought by boat. The people walk, ride bicycles, or cruise along on motorbikes. There was virtually no litter. We are told that many areas of Suriname are former plantations that have been divided in this way.

The fish is a Piranha caught in the river where we were anchored. No swimming in Suriname!

Domburg Bottle Project, Suriname

This morning we had coffee with Sofia and Ed, a Dutch couple who have lived in Suriname for more than three years. They have built a floating island, using great creativity and energy, callling attention to the masses of plastic that are discarded in our oceans.
“The Domburg Bottle Project,” begun in November 2006, used approximately 150,000 discarded plastic bottles, sewn into five large pockets of old fishnet.
The final island is approximately 10 by 7 meters, and 1.5 meters thick. On that, they deposited large amounts of topsoil, and have planted trees, flowers, grass and vegetables. Frequent rain keeps the island green, augmented when necessary by water from the river. They have built an open cabin on the island, where they can host friends or relax. They have electricity supplied by a solar panel and stored in a battery, collect rain for water, and enjoy all the comforts of land life, while their boat is tied to the island as their kitchen, and sleeping quarters. (And the whole thing rocks gently when a ship goes by in the river.)

Photos of the island under construction and showing some of the bottles and fishnet through the greenery.

The island today, floating in the Suriname River.  Wilhelm is anchored in the right background.

New England College Town? No, It is Suriname

Suriname is the place that the Dutch received from the British in exchange for New Amsterdam (New York City), in 1667.  This photo shows  small part of the capitol city, but most of the country is undeveloped and very different.

All visiting yachts must anchor about 25 miles up the Suriname River, a large muddy river where small ferries take people back and forth. The sign announces national elections on May 25.
Song bird competitions are a favorite sport, and men carry their favorite birds with them. (Better than pit bulls or cock fights, observes Natalie)

Suriname and tolerance

Suriname's population is a melange of races and religions.  It seems to take pride in its ethnic and religious tolerance, indicated here by a mosque and a Jewish temple, located side by side in the capitol city. 

Iles du Salut, French Guyana

We rested for a few nights at the Iles du Salut.  These islands were used as a French penal colony for more than 100 years. (Described in the book and movie Papillon.) A depressing place to visit, when one considers its history. The water was muddy and not safe for swimming, but we did enjoy a having a peaceful anchorage to ourselves. While we were there, Rob performed an almost miraculous repair on our dinghy motor, despite rusted and corroded bolts and other parts that have seen a lot of wear over the last eight years.