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Larry's LogThey finally got back around 5:30, after a long day. I was occupied in some small tasks but stopped to help once I saw them coming down the dock. They had gone to two separate markets and were really loaded down. Diane had bought wine, cheese, soda and lots of other items. Paul and Vivian had a lot also, but Paul wanted to try some of the wine before he bought a large quantity of any one label. After we had gotten all the stores aboard, he invited us and a couple from the boat next to them, a French delivery captain and his wife, over for a wine tasting, complete with fondue and pate. Diane made a salad, brought over 2 of our bottles of wine and we tried about 5 bottles that we had just bought. Paul enjoys wine and generally had a bottle at lunch and one at dinner, so he goes through a large quantity and wanted to make sure he got good value for his money. Paul and Vivian, aboard Autumn Wind, had come into the dock two days before and after we had helped them with their lines as they came in, they invited us for some drinks and while talking, we had said we were interested in renting a car to do some sightseeing and shopping. They said they wanted to do the same, so we made arrangements to rent a car for 2 or 3 days and take care of our errands and see some of the island. We decided that we would rent the car on Monday so everything would be open (stores and even many tourist spots close on Sunday). Even though Tuesday was a holiday, we had rented the car Monday. Shopping on Monday was followed by seeing the beautiful Jardin de Balata on Tuesday. These gardens are simply fantastic. There are flowering plants and trees arranged along graceful paths and the place was thoroughly enjoyable. We even bought a poster that we plan to hang at home (hopefully it will survive the rest of the trip). Even though it rained a few times during the day, it didn't spoil anything. We also saw some bird species that were new to us, a Martinique Oriole (a beautiful black bird with large orange patches on its back and belly) and a Crested Hummingbird. We got back around 5 and invited Paul and Vivian over for dinner and a further wine tasting. Wednesday was a combination day, visiting the Clemente Rum Distillery in the morning and more shopping in the afternoon. The distillery had been designated a national landmark and was the place where Presidents Bush and Mitterand of France met after the Gulf War. It was also a very interesting place with a garden of exotic trees and plants and a pond with several species of waterfowl. There were also huge gears placed as "pseudo-sculpture" around the grounds (from the old steam engines that used to power the place) that created a surreal look in certain parts. Of course, there was also a tasting room. After the distillery, we went shopping again and we bought 3 more cases of wine. Diane had already bought 2 cases and this would make a total of 5 we would have as we headed south. We were told that wine would get much more expensive and selection would be worse the further south we went, so we stocked up. We also bought another 5 cases of beer for the same reason. We bought the local beer, Lorraine, which was pretty good. The last time we had stocked up on beer and wine was St. Martin, about 4 months ago. We wound up spending well over $500 stocking the boat for the next 6 months or so. When we got back, it was quite late, at least for us (around 8pm) and we were tired and hungry. Paul suggested we get some pizza at a local place and we drove past it to see if it was OK. It looked good so we drove back to the marina, unloaded the wine and the other groceries and went to dinner. Our table was on the beach and about 5 feet from the water with a nice breeze blowing. It had also gotten much cooler after the sun went down so it was really very pleasant sitting outside. We got our pizza, also pretty good and enjoyed the evening. It was an almost full moon that night and we watched it rise from behind a small mountain. It was a really unique dining experience. The following day was more work. Diane put all the provisions away while I worked on the engine; changing the oil, oil filter and fuel filter. I also started to rebed the anchor windlass since the epoxy was now dry. I used a polysulphide caulk around the bolt holes and hawse hole using spacers between the bottom of the locker and the wood pad so the caulk wouldn't be squeezed out. The idea is to let the caulk setup a bit so there is a seal around the holes. I would let the caulk sit for a few days before tightening the nuts. We thought we might leave for St. Anne the next day, but we still had lots to do. Diane started doing the laundry (by hand) and I worked on the engine - changing the oil, oil filter, primary fuel filter and air cleaner (which had broken anyway and was just hanging by a thin piece of plastic. I managed to change the oil; oil filter and primary fuel filter and decided to leave the rest for the next day. Diane also had more laundry to do so we decided to stay for at least another day. Friday, I continued and finished changing the secondary fuel filter and managed to dig out the spare air filter and mount that. While I was digging through the "deep" storage, I also inspected the batteries and made sure that the connections were clean and tight. Since I have AGM (absorbed glass mat) batteries, there is no need to fill them with water every week so I only look at them once a month or so, when I have to move all the "stuff" from the "garage" (better known as the aft cabin). They looked fine and the electrical connections were as good as when I first did them about 7 months ago. I carefully monitor the voltage and capacity of the batteries with an electrical monitor I installed before we left, which I have been very happy with. Saturday, May 12, Diane continued with the laundry and I decided to fix the dinghy lift strap on the port side, which had pulled up a bit. We decided to leave on Monday (maybe Tuesday) so we could get diesel and finish all the little miscellaneous tasks that are so much easier at a dock. After fixing the dinghy, I rearranged the storage areas and updated the storage log, which tells us where everything is on the boat. It saves many frustrating hours of searching for a specific little part when you keep accurate and up-to-date records. After dinner of crabmeat quiche, we listed the things left to do before we left. Filling with diesel and gas were high on the list, as was completing the windlass rebedding and last minute shopping. Cleaning and filling the water tanks was the last since we wanted full tanks as we left. We had heard that water in St. Lucia wasn't very good so we wanted to have as much as possible before we left. The watermaker would make good water for us, but it also used a lot of electricity. |