Murphy's Cruise to Tobago with Paige & Dmitry

We so looked forward to Paige and Dmitry's visit with us. Early on, we had wanted to have already scoped out the perfect spots to explore in Tobago, but our time schedule prohibited that. We wanted them to fall in love with this quaint little island off the coast of Trinidad, as we had several years ago while on a Windstar cruise. They were scheduled to arrive on August 15th,Friday evening, and our hope was to depart at first light on Saturday morning, but our plans were dashed when the air conditioners went out on Wednesday and weren't repaired until Friday afternoon, leaving us with provisioning and customs clearance yet to complete. But, they were good sports, and we had way too much fun on Friday evening to get an early start on Saturday anyway. Instead, we took care of moving the boat from the marina to the anchorage and completing our chores for a Sunday departure. From the anchorage, it is necessary to dinghy into shore obviously, and since the recently completed repair to our Zodiac was under the influence of Murphy's law like everything else, it was leaking air like crazy. Dmitry quickly got the hang of and lots of practice making like a hillbilly on Hee - Haw while he foot-pumped and Walt held the bellows hose to the valves, sometimes twice a day.

24 hours after their arrival, they still exhibited good sportsmanship and in spite of lousy internet connections they made do and were able to plug Dmitry's head into the financial reports from NYC. The man is a workaholic!

"Formal" dinner aboard KINGDOM











































Sunday morning, bright and early, we made a spectacular exit from Chaguaramas Bay. We headed out to the clearer and cleaner Caribbean, only to have both engines sputter, cough and quit in swells about 3 feet, hitting us on the beam and rolling us from side to side. Never mind the 48 cans of beer which escaped from the the fly bridge refrigerator to roll all over the deck making a fearful racket. The guys were down in the engine room doing the filter change and priming thing, in wretchedly hot conditions, pitching to and fro, while we were slowly but surely drifting toward a dramatic rocky coastline with crashing waves, and the mountain soaring straight up. They didn't complain, but I think the Babayev's may have been losing a little confidence in the Captain, Crew, and Kingdom.

However, there is nothing that My Captain can't fix, and eventually we were underway again, to an overnight anchorage in Abercrombie Bay, located on the north shore of Trinidad. Of course, we had the torrential Murphy's rain squall to anchor in, but when the rain stopped it was a really picturesque little bay, with a nice beach, and tons of Trini-daddies and Trini-mommies with all the Trini-kiddies playing and swimming and jamming to the loudest music we had ever heard, just 100 yards from our spot. Oh well, if you can't lick 'em join 'em, so we spent the afternoon floating in the water, drinking Carib (the local brew), doing a bit with the snorkel and fins. Paige and Dmitry kept jumping off the fly bridge deck, trying to out-cannonball each other. Murphy had his way with Dmitry this time; he managed to plug up his ear on one very deep submerge, and he lived with the painful results for the remainder of the journey. However, Russians apparently suffer in silence, unlike us Italians!

High Diver Paige




























Sunset at Abercrombie Bay


















The jaunt across to Tobago was an easy one, and we arrived in Scarborough early to send Walt off to handle the customs and immigrations chores, while we once again jumped in for a swim and some liquid refreshment. He returned with a bruise to his composure, having been rebuffed by customs for not having brought the proper clearance forms from Trinidad ashore with him (Murphy strikes again!). This necessitated an immediate return via dingy to the hot, dusty, long walk on the streets of Scarborough to sort it out with them again. We decided to venture ashore for dinner, and according to our guide book, would find a great restaurant (The Donkey Cart Restaurant) within a 15 minute walk through the "old" part of town, just up the hill. Remember, it's 80 degrees, with 80% humidity, and at dusk the mosquitoes are hungry. It was a 40 minute walk, and we all had so many bites it's a wonder we didn't get Murphy's Dengue Fever.

If it can go wrong, it will go wrong, so of course after we all turned in for the night, the seas picked up and tossed and rolled us more than the little cradle swing we had promised our dear guests. Come morning, and still a bit too unsteady to fix a proper breakfast, we made ready for a fast get away. Mt. Irvine Bay was just a short hop, and is a picturesque setting with a great beach and a funky little shore restaurant. So we headed over; hot, thirsty and hungry. We thought we should avoid the swimming area, so decided to drop the dingy anchor off the stern and tie the bow to a palm tree on shore; usually a great way to secure a dingy when the water is shallow and you just hop off and walk ashore. Murphy somehow managed to untie the line to the anchor, so unattached, irretrievable there is sat on the bottom, in the middle of a garden of sea urchins. So we left the dingy bow-in at the beach, tied to the palm tree. After lunch, we came back to a completely swamped and very heavy Zodiac. Every wave had splashed over the stern, and filled it up to the brim with sand and sea water. My Captain was not happy! It took all our strengths to maneuver it back to deeper water, re-float it and get it pumped out...We went back to Kingdom, and drowned our sorrows in more Carib, and rested our aching arms.

Oh, what an evening we had, poker fans! Dmitry is such a good "Texas Hold-Em" teacher, that Rookie Walt won the pot! A few rain squalls, and a change in wind direction gave us another "swell" night, and our guests in the VIP stateroom began sleeping in separate beds to finally catch some zzz's.

Poker Tournament in progress

















Our next stop; Man O War Bay, sounds much more ominous than it really is, in fact it was so peaceful and calm, all the restaurants in town were closed! Our only visit to the village was a quick beer at the cab shack, and rain squall for the dingy ride back to Kingdom.

We found this mermaid on our foredeck - didn't know they wore "shades"


















Paige and Dmitry smooching at "The Donkey Cart" restaurant in Scarborough, Tobago


















We finally experienced the "ahhh" we were looking for when we arrived in Anse Bateau the following morning. The water is crystal clear, the little bay surrounding the quaint resort is protected, the little town has adequate services and amenities while maintaining the local flavor.

Paige snorkeling along the reefs at Anse Bateau

















We had lunch at the "Tree House" restaurant, which is actually perched in huge trees, cantilevered over the beach. Our lunch of fresh lobster and seafood creole style was out of this world. When it came time for dinner we were all still too stuffed from lunch to enjoy the hospitality and fine dining at the resort, which we had been looking forward to for a week!

Luncheon at the "Tree House"


















Our suntanned guests - P&D


















View of KINGDOM at anchor in Anse Bateau Bay, from the cliffs overlooking the reefs.




















From Anse Bateau, we motored back down the Eastern side of Tobago to Scarborough, to clear out with customs and immigration. After taking care of the official tasks, we, then ran around the southern tip of the island to spend the night in Store Bay, prior to making the passage back to Trinidad the following day.

Trinidad and Tobago hold "The Great Race" every year, a run of "pirogues" open high powered brightly painted wooden or fiberglass local style fishing boats. They run full out from Chaguaramas, Trinidad the long way around, and end in Store Bay, Tobago. We arrived in Store Bay the evening before the race began. The bay was packed with spectator boats, and the beach, resorts and streets were packed with revelers, various styles of music blasted from flatbed trucks, at deafening volumes, most of it CRAP (Caribbean RAP). It was too intimidating for 4 tired old salts to bother with, so Paige tuned in Nora Jones, Frank Sinatra, and Harry Connick and we "limed" our evening away playing scrabble, and drinking champagne. We were disappointed not to see hordes of pirogues blasting past us in the opposite direction during our return to Trinidad the following morning, but we were blessed with more dolphins, and calm seas as we headed back to tie up at our marina (in another rain squall) and prepare for Paige and Dmitry's departure in the morning.


Murphy ruled the voyage; if it could go wrong it did go wrong! I'm begining to believe Murphy lets no good deed go unpunished too! Yet, something tells me Paige and Dmitry had a wonderful time anyway. I know we did, and we hope they'll give us another chance to show them how good it can be. We miss them! and they are welcome anytime!


In spite of our threats to hide their passports, cancel the taxi driver, and forget to set the alarm, they managed to sneak off and make their flight back to the states at the ungodly hour of 4:30 a.m. Go figure???






Since this posting has been in the making for almost a month now, we will update you all on the latest developements in our next blog. Stay tuned for news on the international fuel crisis which has now resolved in less than satisfactory ways, and our current stay at Peakes Boatyard and Marina where we currently have the boat "on the hard" for its annual bottom painting, general maintenance, and some refitting.








Love to you all,
Walt and Susan

Where in the world are Walt and Susan?

Chaguaramas, Trinidad!
It has been six weeks since our last blog update, and it has been something of a whirlwind of activity.
We arrived here originally on July 10th. As soon as we arrived, I (Walt) began doing necessary maintenance and upgrades to the boat. We purchased six new house batteries and had them installed ($4,000), and replaced the SSB (Single SideBand - something like a HAM radio) for $2,000. (Ouch) In the meantime, we were preparing to make the semi-annual trip home to Arizona. Susan was furiously working on getting our doctor's appointments and lab work scheduled, and arranging airline connections.
We arranged for our boat to be looked after at Coral Cove Marina, while we were away, and departed for home on July 17th. We spent two weeks in Phoenix/Scottsdale visiting with family and friends, seeing our doctors, dentist, etc. While there, we stayed most of the time with Ray and Pam Delrich (Susan's father and step-mother), but also spent a few days at the home of our dear friends Phyllis and Terry Carron. We were able to spend some quality time with my daughter Kara, Miguel, and our new grandson Andrew Ronquillo.

Andrew (being fed) and Kara















Andrew trying to snatch Grandpa's hat!














Great-Grandpa Ray Delrich and Andrew



















Phyllis and Terry Carron














The "Sistas" - Susan, Yvonne, and Dee, on the beach



Then we drove to San Luis Obispo, California to visit Susan's sisters, Yvonne and Dee, her nephew Stan, and niece Sierra, Richelle and Brother-outlaw Clay


On the way back, we stopped for a wonderful visit in Pasadena with Jeannine, Greg, and Allie (Susan's daughter, son-in-law, and Grand-daughter).


We arrived back in Trinidad on August 11th, exhausted. We've resolved that our next trip home will have to be at least 4 weeks, since we still didn't get to see all of our family, old friends and colleagues in Arizona.


As soon as we recovered from jet lag, we began preparing to recieve guests - Paige and Dmitry Babayev - from NYC. They are a wonderful pair (Our step sister and brother-in-law) full of life and energy. They arrived August 15th, and our next blog entry will describe our week with them circumnavigating the island of Tobago.

St. Lucia to Trinidad

The marina at Marigot Harbour, St. Lucia, was our favorite so far. These two pictures were taken from the pool deck of the Discovery Resort overlooking the yacht basin. We spent one entire day laying around the pool, and being pampered for a change.
People were always stopping on the little bridge to admire our boat. I think they are fascinated by the scooters on the flybridge.


























We departed Marigot Bay at 9:00am on July 7, for the 49-mile run south to St. Vincent. We had wonderfully calm seas and light winds.

At the southern end of St. Lucia, are these two distinctive geological features, known locally as "The Pitons". They're enormous cones jutting up, and between the two are two lovely bays. As you can imagine, the resorts there are fabulous.

View of the approach to The Pitons














Not sure if you can see the mast of the sailboat in this picture, but if so, it affords a little perspective of the size of these things....














View of The Pitons looking back as we depart St. Lucia, southward towards St. Vincent














We dropped anchor at 4:30pm, in the lovely little deep-water anchorage of Wallilabou (pronounced wally-la-bow), on the island of St. Vincent. This harbour was the site of much of the outdoor action in the first "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie, with Johnny Depp as the pirate captain. A lot of the sets remain intact.





























If you look closely, you can see the wooden coffins leaning against the front of the building. In one scene, Johnny Depp steps out of one of them. They're made of plywood, covered with fiberglass, and painted to look like old wood. Seems to me like a lot of trouble. There are plenty of old weathered buildings on the islands that they could have used as sources of real aged wood.













Pirates of the Caribbean film buffs will recognize these as the gallows where Johnny Depp was to be hanged. They built two. One was for the beginning of the hanging scene, and is upright, and the other was for the end of the scene, where the gallows collapses, saving our hero.


















The harbour has a very steep slope to the bottom. We anchored the front of the boat in 35 feet of water. Our friendly neighborhood boatman, Alex, took a line ashore from our stern, and tied it to a firm structure, thus aligning us perpendicular to the shore, and to the inbound surf. It worked quite well.
Alex also ferried me to the local harbourside restaurant, where I was inquiring about the whereabouts of the Customs and Immigration officals that are supposed to be there. They were AWOL - attending the Carnival festival in the capitol. So, we had a beer and went back to the boat.
Alex and me, returning to KINGDOM













Sunset at Wallilabou harbour, St. Vincent - We had a lovely evening getting acquainted with the owners of this catamaran, Ron and Debbie. It was the only other boat in the harbour. We learned that they are friends of Mike and Beth Smith, whom we met in St. Kitts. Ron is another semi-retired MD who teaches part-time at the various medical schools around the Caribbean!













Another wonderful geologic feature, also used in the movie as backdrop. We think there were skeletons hanging between the pillars of the rock in one scene.














Typical fishing village on the western coast of St. Vincent.













We left Wallilabou at 7:15am on Tuesday, July 8, for the 50-mile run to Carriacou. We arrived at the port of Hillsbourough around 2:30pm. We took the dinghy ashore to clear customs and immigration. It was really hot there! When we got back aboard, we decided that the harbour was too rolly for us, so we pulled the anchor, and motored south a couple of miles to the harbour in Tyrell Bay. It was much more protected from the ocean surge, and we were more comfortable there.
As soon as we anchored, our friends Dustin and Courtney, Captain and Mate of the charter catamaran "Frangine", motored over to say hello. We had a great time when we met them in St. Kitts. It was good to see them again, but since they had guests aboard their boat, they couldn't stay and visit long. They did suggest a couple of good anchorages we could use in Grenada.

We departed Tyrell Bay, Carriacou very early (6:15am) on Wednesday, July 9, because we were asked to move our boat out of the path of an incoming freighter. This was only a 35-mile run in good conditions down to the extreme south end of Grenada. We arrived there about 12:45pm, and anchored in a small protected harbour formed between Hog Island and the mainland of Grenada. There were at least 30 boats in this small harbour. Since we had cleared customs and immigration in Carriacou, we did not need to do it again in Grenada, as both islands are under the same government.

The next day, July 10, we made the last long (82 mile) leg of our journey to Trinidad. We left at 6:00am, since we knew this would be at least a 10 hour day. As it turned out, it was a 14-hour run, against the strong equatorial current, which cut our speed by as much as 3 knots at times. In addition, the seas were kicking up and we dealt with 6' to 8' swells on the beam nearly all day. We also ran in and out of rain squalls throughout the day. It was NOT what we consider ideal conditions, but it was still do-able for us. We took only a few pictures on this passage. One was of this gigantic rainbow, which we encountered early in the day.














Volcanic rock formations of the southern coast of Grenada.















We arrived in Chaguaramas Bay, Trinidad after dark, about 7:45pm. We picked our way into the anchorage and dropped the hook. We were exhausted from this passage. Next morning, we went ashore to clear customs and immigration. Then we made arrangements to bring the boat into Coral Cove Marina, where it will remain during our three-week trip to Phoenix. We leave on July 17, and return August 12.

While we are in port here, we will have some time for maintenance. The boat's 24-volt battery bank needs to be replaced, and our Single Sideband radio needs adjustment or repair. I will also change the oil and filters on the main engines and the large generator, check the condition of fuel filters, etc.

We will be taking more photos and updating the blog again in a few days, once we get rested up again..

Party at the Shipwreck Bar - St. Kitts

Lest anyone think that we don't make good use of our time ashore, I thought we would include these pictures of our last afternoon in St. Kitts. Our friends Beth and Mike Smith took us out to the Shipwreck Bar on Sunday afternoon, and we ran into another couple, Denise and TJ, whom we had met earlier in the week at a Karaoke night (another story for another time...)

The Shipwreck is right on the beach, and provided cold beer and live music all afternoon. As you can see, we had to get up and dance, if you can call what we do "dancing"! Anyway, the locals seemed to get a kick out of our antics...

Only 470 miles to Trinidad -














Professor Mike Smith














Susan demonstrates her Italian heritage - (sign language)














Dancin' fools are we...














Susan and Beth Smith














You talkin' to ME?














Walt and TJ (he's the one in the cool hat)














Left to right - Mike Smith, Denise, Susan, Beth Smith, Walt, TJ














Bustin' a move on the dance floor












































See? I told you. We waste no opportunity to enjoy life!

St. Kitts, West Indies to St. Lucia, Windward Islands

We are finally on our way south again, after waiting out the weather for two weeks in St. Kitts!

July 1st - I had to clear out with customs and check out of the marina, first thing this morning, which occasioned a bit of a late start - 9:30am.

Once we cleared the lee of the islands of St. Kitts and Nevis, we had a fairly bumpy ride to Montserrat, a 51-mile run overall. However, we arrived about 4:30pm and dropped the hook in Rendevous Bay, a very small bay on the extreme northwestern end of Montserrat. It was a bit rolly overnight, but very picturesque, as we were surrounded by sheer cliffs, a small sandy beach, a deserted house on the beach, plus one black goat .

At anchor in Rendevous Bay, Montserrat













Monserrat is an active volcano. Recently the caldera's lava dome has been rising, leading researchers to expect some sort of "event" to occur sometime soon.

The trade winds in this area generally are out of the east, which blows lava dust to the leeward (western) side of the island. For that reason, the government recommends that boats transiting the island travel on the windward (eastern) side, out in the open Atlantic.

View of the volcano and lava fields on the eastern side of Montserrat. The last eruption buried a major portion of the principal city, ruins of which can be seen sticking up here and there amid the lava field. Since that event, most of the populace has moved to the northern end of the island. There is an intervening mountain range which, they believe, will protect them from future lava flows from the volcano.

View of Montserrat's lava flow













July 2 - Our next stop was at the village of Deshailes (pronounced Day-hay) Bay, near the northwestern end of the island of Guadaloupe. We left Montserrat at 6:45am, and arrived at anchor by 1:15pm. The 40-mile passage was very bumpy, with 4' to 6' seas, and we were happy to arrive in this quaint village in the protected harbour to rest up. Guadaloupe is a large island with lots of anchorages, both large and small. It is actually considered French soil, and is quite prosperous and well-developed for tourism and cruising. We did not go ashore here, but we will definitely return when we can spend a few weeks exploring. It has a great reputation for food and wine, as you might imagine!

Ville Deshailes, Guadaloupe













Thursday, July 3 - We hoisted our hook at 6:15am for this 51-mile run down-island to Dominica.

The cruise down the lee side of Guadaloupe was both calm and very scenic. Lots of shoreside villages, with good anchorages. We saw many boats at rest in the lee of the island.

However, the passage between Guadaloupe and Dominica was another story. We dealt with strong adverse currents, 30-knot winds, and 6' seas.

We arrived in Portsmouth Harbour, Dominica at 1:45pm. This small village was one of our ports of call on the itinerary of the Windstar Cruise, that Susan and I took several years ago. That cruise was pivotal in our deciding to buy our own boat upon our retirement. We have been looking forward to returning to the islands we visited on that cruise.

As we approached the quiet harbour, the local boatman known as "Lawrence of Arabia" met us. We had read about him in our cruising guide, and were happy to meet him. He, along with others like him, provide all sorts of services to the cruising boats arriving in this lovely harbour. I asked him to take me to the customs and immigration office to clear in, and I was very happy that I did. I would have had a tough time even locating it otherwise!

Later in the day, Lawrence took us ashore to "The Purple Turtle" beachfront restaurant and cyber-cafe. There, we were able to access the internet for weather updates, check emails, and have dinner. We love the people of Dominica. They were so hospitable!

The two-story structure in the center of this photo is "The Purple Turtle"













The next morning, as we departed Portsmouth, Dominica -

View of the pier where Windstar tied up during our previous visit. The old Fort overlooks the pier and harbour, and is now part of a protected park and historical area.













Friday, July 4th - Today was a 53-mile run down to St. Pierre, Martinique. This was an easy run, with seas running less than 4' in relatively light winds.

St. Pierre is situated at the foot of a dormant volcano, which last erupted in 1902, wiping out the town and killing some 22,000 residents of St. Pierre.

View of the volcano, as we approach the northern end of Martinique.













View of the volcano, towering over the town of St. Pierre, Martinique













We anchored here at 2:3opm in 22 feet of water, just 50 yards off the beach and town dock. This was a quiet anchorage, with only a few cruising boats in the harbour, since it is off-season. We did not go ashore here, but will definitely return this winter.

The town of St. Pierre as it looks today













Saturday, July 5th - Leaving early, at 6:30am, we headed toward St. Lucia, one of our favorite islands of the Caribbean. This was an easy 47-mile leg, in calm seas and light air. Our cruising guide recommended the small harbour of Marigot Bay, so we opted to go in to see if there was room for us to anchor. Instead, the Marigot Marina offered a sweet deal for an overnight slip, and we accepted. Since we had been moving and anchoring out every night since we left St. Kitts, we felt we deserved a couple of nights at a dock, with access to good restaurants, as well as onboard free internet!

View of Marigot Harbour as we entered













Marigot Harbour is almost like a Norwegian Fijord in shape - narrow and deeply cut into the surrounding cliffs. It has an inner lagoon, where the marina is located, and it is considered one of the few truly safe Hurricane Holes in this part of the Caribbean. They have never lost a boat during a hurricane!

Here are located two lovely resorts, and a fleet of Moorings charter boats is operated from the marina. They must have 25 catamarans and mono-hulls available. Since it is off-season, many of them are in port now.

We were also delighted to find the first truly good bread in the islands, at a bakery not 50 yards from the boat. We were able to feast on fresh-baked French pastries, and bought several loaves of Sourdough Bread for our larder. Last night, we enjoyed a fine-dining experience at the Discovery Resort's restaurant overlooking the marina. We will be truly sorry to leave here tomorrow morning.
It simply doesn't get any better than this! Check out the sunset, as seen last night from our slip!


























Tomorrow - On to St. Vincent and the Grenadines...