JAN 6, 2013 ST BARTS

Sunday Jan 6, 2013 ST BARTS
After a pretty rough night of rocking and rolling, we were awake before sunrise and looking out at a cloudy horizon with the sun peaking underneath.  We wanted to get out early on the first tender into Gustavia Harbour so breakfast at 7:30 on the back deck of La Veranda and then the six of us headed out.

It turns out that for tenders Tere Moana uses extra large zodiacs for their tenders - when not in use these are retained in a large side locker on each side of the ship which lifts up so that the zodiac can essentially be driven right up alongside the ship and then winched in for storage.  It is large with a 115 horsepower motor and easily handles 14 passengers plus two crew.  We were each given a bright red lifejacket before getting on board the zodiac which we boarded from the marina deck at the back of the Tere Moana on deck 2.  It was wise to keep any cameras in a plastic bag or case since we did get some splashing from the aves - the wind is still blowing like crazy across the Caribbean.

In Gustavia Harbour we started our walk around the harbour at 915am and being Sunday it was very quiet - in fact as we were to find out almost with no exceptions EVERY store was shut uptight!  As one store owner told me, it's a Catholic Island and they all go to church and stay closed every Sunday.  She had a top end gourmet food supply shop(amazing stuff and variety) and she said she catered to the Americans with their big yachts  and so opened every day.

The walk was very enjoyable  a first for Wally and Ellen, but unfortunately the light was not on at JB's house (Jimmy Buffet) so we couldn't stop by to say hello.  We finished the walk with the hike up the stairs to the? viewpoint for great photos before walking back down and around the corner to beautiful Shell Beach (Shell Plage) - the beach is thousands of pink shells - just beautiful although sometimes a little dance work required in and out of the water!  We swam several times - large swells rolling in and out but a lot of fun! At one point a large black cloud rolled in but apart from sending everyone scurrying off the beach we received no more than 10 drops of rain!  We were still on the beach so back into the water we went.

There are several sailing boats anchored here - it is quite sheltered, so obviously a popular spot to go to - and for everyone who comes into St Barts, Gustavia Harbour - an easy and level walk, maybe 30 minutes from the drop off point in the harbour to the beach.  There is a restaurant and bar on the beach Do Brasil, and they also rent sun cots there - very expensive unless you are eating at the restaurant.   Oh yes - St Barts (full name St Barthelemy) is a very French Island so there is also a good selection of half naked people (or half dressed - call it like you will) on the beach!

We walked back to the harbour to pick up the zodiac tender back to the Tere Moana.  All the stores were closed including two stores that sell high end rum - this was a shame since we had promised to buy Clark a bottle of aged rum from St Barts  for his Birthday last October (he was 21 I believe). We arrived back at the Tere Moana at 135pm barely in time for a late lunch (lunch is served 1200pm- 130pm today) and really enjoyed the salads and cold cuts.  You can also order from the grill (burgers etc).
The afternoon flew by as we sat on the top deck enjoying sunshine and BBC's from Vishal at the pool bar - this a Bailey's Banana Colada - and much too good!  In the Grand Salon (the lounge) we were informed by the Captain that due to the unusually strong windy conditions in the Eastern Caribbean we would not be going to English Harbour Antigua as planned in our itinerary tomorrow, but would be heading straight to Guadeloupe. The windy sea conditions have caused very many folks to be sea sick and English Harbour is not very protected, especially for getting folks on and off the Tere Moana to tender into shore.  So by heading straight to Guadeloupe we would get there about noon and then spend the night tied up to the dock and everyone would be able to get  good night's sleep. As much as we will all miss the day in Antigua, we will all appreciate a good night's sleep and a safe anchorage for the night.

Dinner was excellent - steak and baked potatoes with caesar salad off the "always available" menu versus the daily specials. Each evening Ryan (the sommelier) generously serves a white and red wine matched to the evening menu. Our waiters to date have been Fernando from Peru (who we love), Iputu from Indonesia, and Arnold, plus Andreas the Maitre'd from Germany.  We departed St Bart's around 6pm and watched the lights of both St Barts and St Maarten (which is only about 40 miles away) fade into the distance.  It was a very rough passage down to Guadeloupe and not many slept well - Terry, as usual, would be the exception who pretty much slept like a log except for the times when I was up and noisily rolling around the cabin trying to negotiate between the bed and the bathroom!