ENDURANCE 40 VOYAGER 38
CLASSIC WAVE TRINCULO
Yachts with Power Style & Grace
Voyages of the C-W CREW 2
This is the second story of a voyage involving the crew following the loss of CLASSIC WAVE. One in which I suffered a disaster in the early stages. The others carried on to a successful voyage
The WINDWARD ISLANDS
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
( The HIP (H)OP Caribbean Tour )
FRIDAY 28th. April to FRIDAY 12th. May 2006
CREW: Bob Skipper for first day
Barrie Skipper for rest of voyage
Kevan Author of the log
Andy
Once again we chartered a Sun Odyssey 42 from Sunsail, but this time at Blue Lagoon, St Vincent.
‘Crevette’ was built in France in 2003 and was equipped to the high standard we had come to expect from them.
The Windward Islands are made up of a chain of Islands in the Southern part of the Caribbean. The area we visited comprises of two different states namely St Vincent & the Grenadines and Grenada. The islands are all Volcanic and in the valleys lush vegetation abounds, whilst on the hills the vegetation clings to the Volcanic rock. Each Island is in some way unique and has its own character. The people are friendly, I lost count of the times I was asked if I was enjoying my visit. The people are industrious and there are literally thousands of micro businesses, these are often just selling fresh vegetables at the side of the road. The economy is weak and relies heavily on tourism. The devastation to industry caused by Hurricane Ivan in 2004 will take many years to recover. Unemployment in many areas is at 40%, which leaves many surviving by their wits. Crime has unfortunately risen, but the entrepreneurial spirit shines through. We were offered by the Boat Boys, Ice, Water, Fresh Bread, Fuel, Fish, Wine, Moorings and T Shirts to name but a few. We employed their services at times and a polite “no thanks” sends them on their way, there is always another Yacht coming in. If I was in their position I may well be doing the same.
The Log.
Barrie and myself left work on Thursday 27th April and picked up Bob and Andy at Bob’s house in Preston and drove down to Gatwick. We stopped at a Pub on the way for a meal and arrived at the Russ Hill Hotel near Gatwick at 10.15 that evening. After a couple of beers it was bedtime as we had to be up and at the Airport by 7.45am. A Bus service operates between the Hotel and the Airport, we caught the 7.15am service to the North Terminal. After checking in and a quick run through duty free we were at the boarding gate. My name was called over the tannoy and I went to the desk. Why do we always have problems at airports ?. It was only that we had been issued with the wrong luggage tickets, there were changed and we boarded a Boeing 767 to Antigua. The price for their upgrade to Their Premier Service had fallen from £300 to £100 for both ways and we took up the offer. Eight hours later we had landed in Antigua and felt the hot Caribbean air as we stepped out of the plane. We queued at the Caribbean Star desk and checked in and the ushered through to the “In transit” lounge which had a bar and shops but was No Smoking, which to someone like myself is a pain. Three and a half hours later we boarded a fifty seater turbo prop plane to St Vincent via St Lucia. We landed at St Lucia and a number of passengers got off, then a lady got on and then off again. A number of other people got on and then there was a head count and a number of names were read out. Two young ladies then got off and we were away. We landed at St Vincent twenty five minutes later and got off, after filling in forms for both Immigration and Customs we finally got out. A Taxi from Sunsail was waiting for us and together with a young couple who were on the plane with us, we were driven to the Sunsail Base at the Blue Lagoon. After stowing our gear on board “Crevette” it was up to the Bar / Restaurant for food and of course a few beers, plus a complimentary welcome Rum Punch from the Sunsail Staff.
The following morning we called at the office and was told our briefing would be at ten o’clock. We arranged with the taxi driver who brought us from the airport to take us to a supermarket for provisions after the briefing. The Sunsail Base Manager, Joachin Fritz gave us and another two crews a briefing on what to expect and a few do’s and don’ts together with advice on certain anchorages. We then together with the young couple we had met on the plane hit the local supermarket. Barrie could not quite be his usual self and start clearing the shelves as the supermarket was not on the same scale as the ones at home and a number of items on sale, we had never heard of. It was then back to the Sunsail Base and after stowing the food, made ready for sea.
St Vincent to Port Elizabeth on Bequia.
A member of the Sunsail staff called Keron took us out of the Blue Lagoon, wished us well and then jumped in to a dinghy, we were on our own. The sails were hoisted and we made our way to the first island South which is called Bequia. The wind was about twenty knots from the East and we were soon doing seven knots. We rounded the headland and pulled in to Port Elizabeth in Admiralty Bay and anchored. Barrie lit the Bar-be-que and T. bone steaks were soon on the plate.
After food we went ashore and in to a bar mentioned in the briefing called the Frangipani Hotel Bar which is on the beach. We had a couple of beers and then some of us went on to a Rum Punch. After about an hour we moved on
to a beach party and Karaoke further up the beach and had a couple more beers. It was getting late and we decided to head back to Crevette. As we walked along a narrow road back to where we had left the dinghy I heard a sound behind me and turned to see Bob lying on the road. He had tripped over a Speed Hump / Sleeping Policeman. A number of locals tried to help and Barrie and myself picked Bob up, Bob told us to put him back down as he could not stand. A
young American gentleman appeared and seemed to know his way around and went over to speak to some of the locals. A few minutes later a Taxi turned up. The local Taxis are pick up trucks with two seats one on either side. Bob was bundled in to the centre footwell and taken to the local Casualty Unit. Barrie went with him and I walked after being directed by the young American. As I got there the Driver and another local had just carried Bob in and were looking at Barrie who had no idea, it’s a good job some of us listens at briefings. I handed out a couple of notes and they disappeared. The Nurse in charge of the Casualty Unit asked Bob some questions as I registered him in. Bob complained that he could not move his right leg. The Nurse moved Bob’s leg and said
that it appeared not to be broken. She prodded his leg and Bob told her when it hurt, she then gave him some painkillers waited for them to kick in. I then told her that I was going to look for the fourth member of our crew and that I would be back in fifteen minutes. I left and outside was one of the locals who had helped earlier. He told me his name was Bummer (who could forget that name) and went with me to where we had left the Dinghy. The Dinghy had gone and a Security Guard told me that my friend had got frustrated and left. Bummer told me he could find me a Water Taxi and I followed him. He led me back to the Beach Party which was all but over and he found a man called Radio, who had obviously finished for the day. I explained what had happened and he said he would take us back to Crevette. I told him that I was going back to the Hospital and would return soon hopefully with Bob, Radio said he wasn’t going anywhere and to meet him back here.
When I got back to the Hospital the Nurse had decided to keep Bob in overnight or as she put it “He can sleep here tonight”. We put Bob in to a wheelchair and four of us carried him and the wheelchair up a flight of stairs to a three bed ward. I promised to be back at eight in the morning, Barrie and I then left and Bummer took us back to Radio, I then gave Bummer some money for his help and he disappeared. Radio after eventually starting his outboard engine took us back to Crevette where we found Andy waiting for us.
I returned at eight the following morning only to be told that Bob had been transferred from Bequia to the Milton Kato Memorial Hospital in Kingstown on St Vincent on the seven thirty ferry. It was straight back to Crevette and after raising the Anchor sailed back to St Vincent. Andy phoned Sunsail who advised us to come back in to the Blue Lagoon. We called them on the radio as we approached and Keron came out to us and move Crevette back on to her moorings. Petra Pikullik from Sunsail Customer Service then took over, she phoned the Hospital and found out what Bob wanted and ordered a Taxi to take us there for (on Hospital advice) two thirty. Petra also arranged for us to have another Mobile Phone which we gave to Bob so we could keep in touch. We took some clothes, the Sunsail Mobile, his own Mobile, money and his Medical Insurance Certificate and found Bob in the men’s surgical ward. Bob told us as soon as we arrived that he had a broken hip and that he would not be with us for the rest of the holiday. He phoned the insurance company whilst we were there and then left him to go to the local shop to buy him drinks etc while he phoned Barbara his wife. We left him promising to return the next day.
We took a look at the Bay area of Kingstown and to say it is a bit rough is an understatement. The property near the seafront is run down and it soon became understandable why Sunsail had advised us to return to the Blue Lagoon and not anchor in Kingstown Bay. We hired a Taxi for our return the rear suspension on which was non existent and it rattled over every bump. I approached the Sunsail Manager Joachin Fritz on our return and told him that Bob was concerned that his own Mobile Phone ( a Motorola) Battery would soon run down and as the only charger we had for it was a 12 volt, which is fine on the boat, but of no use in a hospital. Where could we purchase a mains charger ?. He had a look round and managed to find a suitable one in the office. We stayed that night in the Sunsail base and had a meal in the restaurant. The following morning Barrie and myself took another Taxi and went back to the Hospital with the rest of Bob’s gear. We hung on to his Sailing Kit which included his GPS, Handheld Radio, Plotter, Life Jackets etc. Bob had just received a message that his Doctor was writing a note to the travel insurance company stating that Bob was fit to fly in a prone position, together with details of the injury. We went out and did a bit more shopping for him and waited for the Doctor to complete the note. It was then back to Sunsail and Petra again took over. She Faxed the note and then telephoned Barbara to confirm that it had arrived in England.
If you want to read about Bob’s efforts to get home, and his recovery. CLICK HERE
At this point I have to say that Petra Pikullik and Joachin Fritz and another lady from Sunsail whom I did not meet but went to see Bob on a number of occasions were outstanding. On behalf of the Crew, Bob and Barbara I can only offer our sincere thanks for everything they did during our crisis, without them we would have wasted a great deal of time, effort and money in Taxi’s and phone calls. They did everything in their power to resolve our problems and using local knowledge moved things along.
St Vincent to Canouan
We were now in the hands of the Insurance Company and there was very little we could do to help as things stood. As Bob was down as Skipper we had to sort things out with Sunsail so we could continue our holiday. Barrie’s credit Card was acceptable to Sunsail so we made him Skipper (well we all make mistakes!). We were taken out of the Blue Lagoon by the Dockmaster and were quickly under sail doing over six knots. Our voyage to Canouan was fast with the wind from the east at force six. Talking Barrie in to reefing down was hard work but when we did our speed increased slightly. The wind then eased and he soon had the reefs out again, the wind then increased again to force seven and within
half an hour the reefs were all back in again. We pulled in to Charlestown bay and dropped the anchor, followed by a meal on board. That evening we took the dinghy ashore and visited the ‘Moorings’ which is a modern development with a Bar, Restaurant and Hotel catering mainly for the American market, with security men watching every pier. We had a couple of beers and left as we were being eaten alive by mosquitoes. After getting up at nine we took a run back to the island and walked into the village. There was not a lot going on so we bought some Vegetables and Orange Juice at the Market for $30EC, as Andy put it while we walked back “I think we got the tourist rate”. When we got back to the pier we chatted to a young lady from Mississippi who told us she was aboard a cat called “Joy Toy” a good name I thought. After stowing the provisions we had bought we discussed where next ?.
Charlestown on Canouan to Salt Whistle Bat on Mayreau
We set sail south and soon had the sails up in an Easterly force five. We caught and passed “Joy Toy” much to Barrie’s delight (Why so competitive on holiday). I phoned Bob and was asked to phone back later as the nurses were giving him a bed bath, it’s alright for some. By the middle of the afternoon we pulled in to Salt Whistle Bay on Mayreau and anchored. There were about twenty other yachts at anchor in the bay which were mainly cats.
The place is idyllic with a long golden beach lined with Coconut and Palm trees with cottages and a bar / restaurant just behind them. We of course hit the bar (well Barrie is our skipper). The young lady from Mississippi and her husband together with another couple turned up. The only name I can remember was Bob, who was their skipper, we told him with a name like that you should stay well away from us. We went on to relay the story of Classic Wave with two Bobs on board and Bob now residing in hospital at Kingstown on St Vincent. All four seemed shocked at our luck whilst sailing in the last nine months. Barrie could not help bragging that we had overtaken them whilst we were reefed down. We decided to eat at the restaurant and stay overnight, then move on to the Tobago Cays the following morning.
Salt Whistle Bay to Clifton on Union Island via the Tobago Cays
We pulled out of Salt Whistle Bay at ten the following morning and sailed the short distance around to the Tobago Cays. I again phoned bob and he told me he was “with luck” flying home on Friday. The cays was packed with Yachts of every conceivable type so we found a spot and dropped anchor. A boat boy called Free Willie approached us selling T Shirts, Andy and myself bought one, Barrie wanted two. After a long search of his extensive stock he was unable to find a second XXL much to the delight of Andy and myself. I will leave to your imagination our comments to Barrie. It was then on with the Snorkelling Gear and we were all in the water swimming with the Turtles and then swam ashore to one of the very small islands and found a large lizard. After half an ashore we headed back and I saw a Manta Ray gliding along the bottom. We left Tobago Cays just after lunch and sailed around Mayreau and the on to Clifton on Union Island. Clifton Harbour is surrounded on three sides by a reef and the channel is well marked. The Boat Boys were telling us that the holding is poor and we should use them to pick up a mooring. The pilot book tells us the holding is fine, we dropped the anchor.
The first thing you notice about Clifton is that the Airfield is very close and the flight path is directly over the main street. The aircraft were descending quickly over a hill and were at about 150 feet as they passed over the town. We took the dinghy to the Yacht Club jetty and then walked the short distance in to town. A voice with an American accent was heard from behind “are you stalking us”. It was the crew of the ”Joy Toy”, there first question was “any more injuries ?” no we replied. Clifton is a small pleasant town with a few shops, bars and supermarkets, small eating places, Banks, and a Credit Union, together with another vegetable market. Our American friends invited us for a drink and we had a
couple of Beers in a hotel bar. After topping up our provisions we returned to Crevette and spent the evening in the cockpit finishing off the last of the meat we had bought in St Vincent and a couple of bottles of wine. Chilling out as it is known in these parts.
The following morning it was officialdom time and we were checking the ships papers and our passports etc when a passing boat boy offered to take the garbage for $5EC (about £1.00) he also offered us a Fresh Tuna for $70EC, lets have a look at it replied Andy, fifteen minutes later we had a Tuna on board all chopped in to steaks. It was then through to the Customs Office by the jetty and a walk to the Airport for Immigration, both meant filling rather
long winded forms, to register out of St Vincent & the Grenadines. After all this was over we were free to leave.
Clifton to Hillsborough and on to Tyrell Bay on Carriacou
Once at sea I tried to phone Bob but the credit had run out on the phone. We had an easy sail across to Carriacou and raised the Yellow flag for Customs clearance. Once ashore we were directed from the Customs Office on the pier to the Police Station, to clear Immigration and told to come back once cleared. More long winded forms to fill in and then back to the Customs House on the pier to pay the cruising tax of $40EC (£7.50) and a Port Duty of $16EC (£3.50). We left and sailed round to Tyrell Bay, lit the Bar Be Que and had half the Tuna we had bought earlier.
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