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Tall Ships, Spies & Torpodoes
How are Tall Ships and Saint Lucia connected to Canadian Naval history? One of the more dramatic events in Saint Lucia’s history occurred on March 10, 1942 in Castries harbour. The story starts three years earlier…………………………. In May 1939 the tall ship Gorch Fock, a German naval training ship, visited the Saint Lucian port of Castries. The ship’s company of 200 were welcomed by friendly Saint Lucians eager to show off their beautiful island. Unfortunately Saint Lucian officials were not aware of their true agenda. The German officers and trainees were not just interested in photographing the iconic Pitons, they had a plan to carefully document military and naval installations.…
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Flotsam
Only a couple of days left, it’s gone so quickly. What will we miss …. The people. So open, friendly and welcoming. A simple “Good Morning” or “Bonjou” at the bus stop or shop will start a conversation. “Where are you from?” …. “Do you like St. Lucia?” Before tackling the dreaded stairs up to the highway one evening we stopped for a beer at Sharon’s pub (had promised her ages ago that we would). As we sat sipping our Guinness with some of the locals, Terrance, a jolly businessman whom we’d met some days ago collapsed onto a barstool, gasping that he needed a drink. He rushed over and…
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Pitons & Parrotfish
After a lazy weekend, with one day almost entirely overcast, Monday dawned with not a cloud in the sky. A perfect day for a hike at Tet Paul Nature trail – boasting 360o panoramic views of the whole south island … from Vieux Fort, both Pitons, up to Soufriere … all the way inland and off to the islands of St, Vincent … and when really clear Martinique as well. https://www.thetetpaulnaturetrail.com/ We ‘What’s App’d’ Presley to see if he was available … this was our taxi driver from the other day, and arranged to meet out front at 9:30 am. Some worrying clouds and quick shower appeared out of nowhere…
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Coconuts & Volcanos
Around 7:00 one morning, young Mervano from upstairs came knocking at the door – saying ‘Uncle’ has some coconuts, would we like to see him open them? Definitely! I’m not sure if Thomas is his real uncle or it’s a respectful name for an older member of the household who works about the place. Wise, softly-spoken … he has endless patience with Mervano’s questions and energy. Wielding a wickedly-sharp machete he made short work of the piled coconuts … creating a small hole in one side and pouring the liquid into a jug, before cutting the nut neatly in two. The soft, white pulp inside was delicious eaten straight from…
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Batons & Treetops
Once again we were perfectly located for national festivities. Although Independence day is not until the 22nd of February, the Baton has to travel by foot all around the Island… rather like the Olympic torch …. and today was Laborie’s turn. We woke up to flags on every building …. bunting across the high street … a special sports day for the girl’s school below us … all dressed in their house colours of red, yellow and green shorts and white shirts. People had been gathering since mid morning … bringing their folding chairs, claiming spots in the shade. At 2:00 music and loudspeakers began … a small grandstand was…
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St. Lucia’s Finest!
The high winds and waves had washed a surprising object onto the beach overnight … a 30 foot sailboat with one of its two masts snapped. Laying forlornly on it’s side … rolling with each wave … a gaping hole in the hull. The owners (presumably not on board at the time) and local fishermen were securing it with chains and lines to a cement bollard and palm tree on the shore to prevent further damage. Sobering to see. Quincy, one of the younger fisherman on the beach, resplendent in the requisite gold chains, low-riding baggy pants, a stylish set of dreads and a neatly-threaded beard ring came over to…
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Eye of the Wind – Epilogue
Our friend Bill, after seeing our first pictures of the Eye of the Wind (in Soufriere Bay) chose the term “magnificent”. On reflection, magnificent turned out be most apt but perhaps not in the way one might have expected. The sailing was indeed, magnificent. The Eye of the Wind is a 114 year old steel vessel. While meticulously maintained, she still shows her age – including a “patina” of rust in spots. Also, as Captain Moritz pointed out, the pictures you see with full sails are only for brochures. Sails are optimized for the wind conditions. With steady 20 to 25 knot winds (at times gusting up to 38!) we…
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Fish & Chocolate
George, the fisherman, was open yesterday morning and doing a roaring trade as people stopped by for freshly-cooked fish and johnny cakes on their way to work … eating carefully so as not to drip down their clothes. It’s literally a two minute walk from our place. A large, meaty Kingfish steak and a smaller whole fish (variety unknown) were wrapped in foil and carried reverently back before being demolished (well partly … there was a lot) for breakfast. Roasted to perfection with just a hint of heat but allowing the flavour to come through … and the johnny cakes – light, fluffy, delicious … incredible. The remains were eaten…
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Laborie
Coffee and cereal on the deck … little Bananaquits https://ebird.org/species/banana buzzing importantly between clusters of coconuts …. yachts riding at anchor in the bay below… and puffy white clouds drifting by. Every morning should begin in this way. There’s a bus stop right outside the gate, so no chance like the present to try out the local buses and take a trip into Vieux Fort and stock up. The shady bus shelter was actually on the wrong side of the road, however a young lady waiting said “no problem” she’d flag down the bus when it came. Green license plates beginning with M are definitely buses … some black plates…
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Martinique 2
Driving the twisting and sometimes hair-raising narrow roads with spectacular views and lush vegetation is hugely enjoyable, however it also involves the negatives of traffic jams, congestion and parking woes wherever it is you want to go. Down on the southern tip are the Etangs … salt marshes and beaches … but cars were parked for miles – both sides of the road – half in ditches, canted at ludicrous angles. Another highly-rated beach area was Anse Dufour, with black, volcanic sand. Same thing here … the access road reduced to single lane by parked cars … predatory, circulating cars, drivers hunched over steering wheels, eyes darting, ready to pounce.…