St. Vincent
        
        Subject: LOG May 5th-May 13th
        Date: Wed, 17 May 2000 17:16:11 -0500
        
        From: W2LSI@cho.win-net.org
        To: rudys03@ibm.net
        
        We were ready to continue our journey South!  We said good bye to St. Lucia and
        headed for St. Vincent. We had about 8 hours. of about 15 knots of wind and 6-8
        foot seas. As we approached the tip of St. Vincent we were cautious because of
        reports of high winds around the tip of the island. They didn't exist but we did run
        into a squall which caught our attention with gusts to over 25. From there our trip
        to our destination, the harbor of Wallilabou Bay was smooth and calm in the lee
        of the island. We could see a small row boat a few miles from land as we
        approached the harbor. This was to be our boat boy! He positioned himself so that
        we would need to pass reasonably close to him to get into the harbor. He started
        a conversation as he rowed fast enough to keep up with our normal cruising speed
        of 5-6kts. Needless to say he was good and in good shape. The boat was sleek but
        the oars were hand made and they looked thin. I think the men fight for first contact
        so that they can claim you as their customer unless we were looking for a specific
        boat boy...we were not so we had a boat boy who could row a boat as fast as we
        could sail!
        
        As in Dominica the water was very deep close to shore. We let out about 100ft of
        chain and backed towards shore. Our boat boy giving directions as we went. When
        the anchor finally caught he took a line from our stern and tied it to a palm tree.
        Faith and I both got into his row boat for a trip to shore to clear Customs. It was
        a little unstable with a lot of water in the bottom with live fish swimming
        around.....these were his bait for fishing while he was waiting for his next customer
        several miles off shore!  When he took us back to our boat we ordered some ice
        and bread for delivery in the morning. The ice turned out to be several plastic bags
        filled with water and frozen. We were surprised at first, but after some thought we
        decided that this was a solution for us to make our own ice.....I'll let you know how
        it turns out! The bread was several small loaves that were good.
        
        The next morning our boat boy...This was HIS JOB!!....released our line after
        delivering our bread and ice and we were off once again. We had planned to stop
        at a couple of other harbors on the West shore of St. Vincent, but after several
        discussions we decided we would head straight for Bequia.
        
        
        Bequia is a small island with a few hundred residents. It is one of the few islands
        that still does some whaling...2 per year allowed! Some of the residents are known
        as excellent model boat builders. They build replicas of older vessels as well as
        commissions from cruisers for working or display models of their boats. The island
        is totally dependent on the yachtsmen of the world that stop in their great harbor.
        There are good restaurants and many bars that cater to the transient traveler. It takes
        a couple of hours for a taxi tour of the island if you stop and enjoy all of the high
        points! We even saw a model yacht race. These were large models of sailing sloops
        that raced around the tip of the Island into current and wind. Each model had a
        chase boat with a motor and several people. These model boats were not radio
        controlled. To change direction it was necessary for a person from the chase boat
        to get close enough to reach out and turn the rudder and adjust the sails. In most
        cases somebody jumped into the water, caught the boat and made the appropriate
        adjustments. The race was not short and it took place in the real ocean! It was neat
        to see how the locals enjoyed the competition.
        
        This island also started a very social week for us. We had cocktails on a different
        boat every night. One was an Oyster 55, Ostrika, owned by Elliot and Marion from
        London...what a boat! Another was Feisty, a 53ft Trintella owned by Mel and
        Jackie from Scarsdale...another beautiful boat. Another was Impulse, a duplicate
        of ours from Philadelphia.....and on it went.
        
        We had lunch and/or dinner out every day. We walked around the island and swam
        at the local beaches. It was great!
        
        On Monday, 5/8, we had an excellent Italian lunch at a restaurant on the water. We
        decided to reserve a table for dinner later in the week. The owner/chef said that he
        would make a special meal for us and three other couples from other
        boats...Ostrica, Feisty and Sasse Too. The owner, Maurice, went diving in the
        afternoon to get us some fresh fish for Sashimi and baked fish. He also made us a
        couple of Pizzas and four different pastas! It was excellent!
        
        We had Happy Hour one night at the Whaleboner. About ten other boats joined the
        fun. One, Avemar we met at the SSCA gathering in Maine last summer and joined
        them in Annapolis for cocktails at their yacht club just before we left the
        Chesapeake. We saw them in the USVI and the BVI as well.
        
        We packed a lot in to a short stay on a nice Island. The people were great and the
        island was fun!
        
        
        Mustique-Canoun-Mayreau-Tobago Cays