Ceiling And Visibility Unlimited

2-20 We left from Bequai for St. Lucia at about 5:30pm. We planned for it to be 12-15 hours. We did not stop at St. Vincent because its not a safe place right now. It was smooth at first but the channel between Bequai and St. Vincent got really wild, really quick all just as the sun was going down. The seas were confused and there were big steep, probably 8 foot peaks, that sent us slamming down and things flying all over. I was glad when it started to settle. It was a really weird feeling once it was completely dark. It’s weird not being able to see what waves are coming or how big. Once we were out and away from other boats Cale tried out a explosive our friends gave us to scare away anyone who attempted to board our boat. It made me nervous since we were moving and all the sparks are flying back towards the boat. He threw it out and even in the water it made a very loud boom. Kelsey was the first to fall asleep. She had been so excited to do shifts and wake up everyone for their shifts. She slept like a rock, even though the rough stuff. Kira and Cole slept on and off in their beds and out in the cockpit. I didn’t fall asleep until close to 12, then I was up again at 2. I was inside and kind of thinking how miserable it was feeling kind of nauseous (I think because of no sleep and an empty stomach) and went out and looked at the stars and it was suddenly totally worth it. A sky full of star, the boat moving through the water and even some shooting stars. It was so calm and peaceful. I slept again from 4-6 and then took over from 6-9 so Cale could sleep. Cade had fallen asleep about 9-12pm but woke up around midnight and was so worried. He was worried dad would fall off and no one would know and he was worried Kira and Cole who were sleeping on the back would fall off with a big wave. He went up and sat with Cale and talked to him for about 4 hours before finally going back to bed.
2-21 Watching the sun come up over the pistons was amazing. I felt bad that everyone was asleep but me except Kira for part of it. The views of the entire coast were gorgeous. I enjoyed being able to choose my path and work my way up the coast. We got to Rodney Bay Marina about 11. The trip was 17 hours. We were pretty exhausted. We don’t have the right adaptor for shore power. After we had a quick lunch we went to Island Marine World. Then, got a cab to the mall. It is a big city! It felt weird to be in civilization again where people wear shoes! We explored a bit and eventually ate at a Chinese place. It was the cheapest food we’ve had and it was huge quantities. The kids were so excited to see a huge grocery store full of food. We stocked up after we ate. Pretty exhausted after last night so went to bed early. We were excited and surprised to see that Hold Fast was in a slip across from us. They had a tough journey and ended up coming here instead of up to Martinique. The kids were excited.
2-22 Today is St Lucia’s National Independence Day. They became an independent nation in 1979 from England. We got a taxi to the capital city of Castries. There was a military “parade” on a fended off grass field. We got there about 9. It started with waiting for the dignitaries and the Prime Minister. Once he was there he gave orders to the soldiers. He then very slowly walked through every isle of the soldiers. Then, the groups very slowly walked around the grass in a pattern. They then picked up their pace and did it again. It that sounds like it took a long time…. it did. The kids (all of us really) were dying from the heat and standing there. We finally figured out they eventually march out of the field so we walked toward the city on the parade route. Once they left the field the music was fun and lively and the band director was entertaining to watch.
After the parade, we walked through the market area. By this point, the kids were about to loose it. We found a nice place to eat with great views called Shawnda’s (I think). It was nice and air conditioned. The food was reasonably priced. It came out quickly and was really good. It was just the pick me up we needed. We went back out and did a little more shopping. Cade got a shirt and I got a keychain. They had a stage set up with performers. We watched those for a while and then got a taxi back to the boat. As a side note, I bought fruit from a guy and we started talking about Independence Day. He said he didn’t agree with it. He said they were much better off under English rule. They had England’s resources and they could give them money for hurricanes and such. It was interesting to hear the other side of it. Seems to always be two sides to every story.
We were all exhausted but regrouped and got cleaning on the boat. It really needed a good scrub. Cale started buffing and we finally got the O put back on Idaho. It fell off a while ago when some gasoline split on it and we had to get new ones ordered. It’s been too rough to put them on. It’s very calm in this marina so we made sure to get it done. We had dinner and then got gelato for the 2nd time. It’s pretty cheap and really good. I was so excited to get a hot shower at the marina, but was so disappointed when I got there and there was no hot water.
2-23
We woke up to rain, a lot of rain. Cale and I walked over to check out our rental car. When we got back we waited for the radar guy to come. He finally came, but it took a lot longer then we thought. The guy went up the mast but they were unable to fish the new wires and then the guy accidently let a line slip down, making things much more difficult. They finally decided to wait. In the mean time, the kids had gotten through a pretty rough morning of school. We also took laundry to get done here at the marina.
We finally left on our island drive around 1:30. It was about 1.5 hours and felt longer. The road was very windy and steep, even more so then grenada. Cale took a detour through one of the towns and we had a guy following our car yelling at us and chasing us down the street. It was really sad and a little scary.
We stopped at a view point of the Pitons and bought a few souvenirs. Kira and Kelsey got jewelry. I got a 2nd keychain. The pitons are absolutely amazing. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen quite a view like it.
We drove down through Soufriere, which means floating sulphur, to the drive up volcano. The smell of sulphur was almost overwhelming. We did a tour with our guide name Angel. She taught us about the volcano. It last exploded in 1800. 250,000 year ago the Pitons were created when it exploded. The black water/mud is because of iron sulphide and can be used for mosquito bites, skin, arthritis, There was even some pine trees that had been planted to help with erosion. It was weird and nice to see pine trees. We also saw a cashew tree. I think she said 1 tree produces 10-20 lbs ( so that is why they are so expensive). The shell is ground down and used to make cyanide (like the poison!). They can do all sorts of stuff with the fruit/nut.
Next, it was sulpher springs time. I thought the water felt so good, others thought it felt gritty. It was really dark colored, so much so you couldn’t see your hand just an inch underwater. The water was very thick, but felt like silk to me. They had buckets of mud to rub all over. It was very relaxing and refreshing. It made up for not having a hot shower in a long, long time.
Cole bought a wooden shark a guy made. The drive back was long and we finished in the dark. We did stop a few more times to get views of the amazing pitons. The boys struggled on the way home, so much so I took the girls out to dinner and the boys had to go home. *We talked a lot about how they have to take responsibility for their mistakes, do their best to learn from them, and then move on, just do their best. It brought some emotions to the surface. Cade feels like he has to over react so we respond to him. Cole feels like he is always the one who gets in trouble because Cade over reacts. We will keep working on it.
2-24
Cale and I used the car to do some errands while the kids did “school.” We found a store that was very costco- esk complete with their hand me down check stands and shelves. The prices were pretty good on some things and not good on others. We had to use a lot of discretion to not over buy. Buying bulk on a boat just doesn’t work very good.
We spend the rest of the morning getting ready to leave. We filled our water tanks, paid for laundry, checked out of St Lucia and got rid of trash. It also took a while to put away our groceries. We have to get rid of all cardboard, and wipe everything down in vinegar, so I can take a while. We ended up leaving at 1:30, later then we hoped.