Independence is back on her mooring in St.Thomas after a wonderful and very productive summer in St.Vincent. We had a lot of work done on the boat when she was in the boat yard, a new boot stripe, bottom paint and interior and exterior varnish. The work was done well and to our great pleasure it was done on time and on budget. If you need a good boatyard next time you are in the Windward Islands check out Ottley Hall in St.Vincent!
Pieter and I flew back to St.Vincent on October 2nd and were able to launch and move back aboard the next day. Our old friend and crew, Lorraine Ross, was at the yard waiting for us and helped with all the myriad of jobs that need to be done before and right after hitting the water. There was a bit of a surge running when we splashed and it was more then a little exciting as Independence careered around the slipway until the yard guys could get the slings from the Travelift off the boat and we could back out and get clear. Kudos to the yard crew and manager Paul Cyrus for brilliant line handling, our hearts got a good cardiac workout but no damage, and once we had the rig set up we motored up to the Young Island anchorage.
Friends had given us the use of a mooring there and we spent several days putting on sails and awnings and unpacking. The refrigeration gave up the ghost so we went on the hunt for an expert to fix our old system. There is a technical college in St.Vincent and we were lucky enough to find two recent graduates of the marine refrigeration class who were available to help us. They were ably assisted by their teacher who came out late on a Sunday night to solve the final problem and now we not only have refrigeration that works really well but it has been switched from R12 which is bad for the ozone layer to the more environmentally friendly R134 (Ithink that's what it's called!). It was a great experience and thanks to all our many friends, new and old, who made our stay in St.Vincent so much fun and so productive, we will definitely be back!
Hurricane Omar raised his ugly head just as we were thinking we could go sailing, maybe spend a little time turtle watching in the Tobago Cays. He was headed right to St.Thomas so Pieter jumped on a LIAT flight and went home to secure the house. I stayed and dealt with the huge swells that came down and blasted a lot of the islands in the lower Caribbean. Independence was on the Sunsail Dock and facing into the swells, so all I had to do was move us off the dock a bit, which was easily done. Portsmouth is a wide open bay, protected from seas from the east which is where they usually come from. Omar came from the west so the damage was quite extensive, several little freighters were washed ashore and all the dinghy docks were washed away. St.Vincent, Bequia and Mustique all had considerable beach erosion and dock damage but everyone was out making repairs as soon as things calmed down so they will be ready for the upcoming season.
St.Thomas was very lucky, no damage to speak of; the storm tracked away from us at the last minute so there was just lots of rain and a few gusts. Pieter flew back to the boat as soon as he had the storm shutters raised. We spent a few days in Bequia and then cast off for a 30-hour motoring passage to Portsmouth on the north end of Dominica. Our good friends Pat and Stacy Kosick, ex Ike Witt Red Hook day sailors, have settled up in the mountains of Dominica and are busy building a small eco-friendly resort complete with river, waterfall and small swimming hole. The web site is up, so check it out www.rootsjungleretreat.com.
We haven't been in Dominica in decades; we stopped in Roseau, the capitol which is on the southern tip of the island. We were adopted by Lawrence of Arabia, as he and his crew are known. They took us ashore to clear customs and ended up being our water taxi for the 3 days we stayed. Lawrence is a licensed boat host, has reasonable prices, and offers great service. Knowledge of the island is a requirement of the Dominican Tourist Board to be a licensed host and the system is working well. Pat and Stacey gave us an awesome tour of their property and as much of Dominica as we could see in 2 days.
We all did the Wacky Roller Tour on the Layou River. If you are ever in Dominica on a cruise or if you are lucky enough to spend a few days, try it out. We had a ball, clambering over shaky suspension bridges and zip lining over the river, harnessed and helmeted we were safe but it was exciting and so much fun. Trafalgar Falls and the Emerald Pool are famous attractions on Dominica but we will have to go back to see them. Dominica is a very big island and if you like hiking, rivers, waterfalls, wonderful fresh fruits and vegetables organically grown, and beautiful scenery and great snorkelling just a bit off the beaten path you will love it in Dominica!
We had a great passage home, only two days and we saw a whale between Dominica and the Saints (they have 7 huge windmills making electricity there-come on Virgin Islands!). The whale breached and blew for us, which was very exciting and then we had a pod of dolphins dance around the bow for almost half an hour. The wind didn't cooperate very well; we only got to sail for about 6 hours but the engine chugged along and the auto pilot steered so it was an easy trip. If you are going on a cruise remember to look out and look down at the sea, maybe you will see Independence or some other small boat(compared to your huge ship) bound for your same port! Trust me, we will see you! There must have been 4 big cruise liners between St.Thomas and St.Maarten the night we were headed in; they light up the night sky and are very pretty as they drift slowly to time their arrival with the sunrise. We don't get close enough to hear the music and laughter but have done a few cruises ourselves so know the sounds!
We arrived in Red Hook, our home port on St. Thomas, at about 5:30 a.m., just on daybreak. The fuel dock at our marina was open so we tied up, home safe and sound on October 29th, 2008. We have local boater cards so just had to call and check in with Customs and Border Protection; that is an amazing innovation and saves so much time, aggravation and paper work!
The last week or ten days have been busy. The boat has been emptied of all cruising equipment and the rest of the charter gear - snorkle gear, life jackets, etc. - is back on board. The new back awning - the one I made in September and have been praying would fit - is on and looks great, the decks are painted and the sails have been checked and bent on. Independence is ready for guests and we would love to take you sailing!
Hope to see you this season, and great news! ... First Mate Ray Whittemore is back so we can look forward to more awesome snorkle tours!
All the best from Independence and Captains Pat and Pieter
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