dec 28, 2012 AT SEA MAYREAU, GRENADINES to BARBADOS

20121228 AT SEA MAYREAU TO BARBADOS

CARRIACOU ISLAND, GRENADINES

Last night we sailed away from Mayreau, but only to anchor off shore of Carriacou where we had a very good night's sleep in a calm anchorage. When I woke up early this morning I looked out the porthole to see the large yellow, almost full, moon just above the horizon and disappearing fast. Terry was awake shortly after and we headed upstairs to enjoy our last day at sea by starting with coffee for "early risers" set out every morning from 6-8am by the pool on deck 4.

We set sail shortly after 7 and as we head North from the Grenadines it looked as though it would be a fairly bumpy ride since we would be sailing against the wind the whole day, and 100 miles. The skies were mostly clear with some white fluffy clouds around - but during the course of the day we did have a short rain shower although Captain Todd Burgman managed to avoid it except for a few odd drops. Todd used the sails all day but along with the motor since he was tacking with the Wind Spirit and if he had been using sail only it would have been a longer and bumpier ride.

SAILS UP ON THE WIND SPIRIT

On this trip the sails have been up for 85% of the time, but we have been under "SAILS ONLY" for just 6% of the time. We have really enjoyed this yacht and the sailing sensation. In fact later this morning Captain Todd is doing a presentation in the lounge at 11am "Today's Tall Ships" which we are planning on attending. After coffee the first job was sending in our last batch of laundry (in by 9am back the same day), and starting to think about packing again - which we deferred until after breakfast! For the first time Terry ordered Eggs Messina (like an eggs benedict on a bed of spinach, English Muffin and jack cheese) from the a la carte menu along with caffee latte. Ari and Putu have been such excellent waiters every breakfast and lunch at the Veranda and some evenings we have been lucky enough to have them in the AmphorA restaurant as well for dinner. We had to sit in the shade as we ate, much too hot in the sun!

After breakfast most of our clothes were rolled or packed, or ready to pack. We are so close on our suitcase weight limit this time we were trying to determine what we could wear or put into our carryon bag so as not to overweight our checked bag - maximum 50 pounds! Then it was a welcome break off to the lounge to listen to Captain Todd Burgman. It turns out that Todd is a very experienced Tall Ship sailor and Captain - not only has he sailed many of them, he has also been a volunteer on many Tall Ships where sailors are taught, and various foundations have semester long courses teaching kids how to sail. He said the necessity is so essential to be able to work together as a team hoisting sails that it is a great development tool for kids and sailors. He said one major success story was when he took a girls only cruise from Los Angeles down to the Sea of Cortez for a semester - just one male engineer and carpenter on board - everyone else including first and second mates were female. He laughed when he said that as Captain he was also the "Doctor" on board and the thought of handling all these female adolescents medical issues scared him to death - but he was obviously extremely proud of the female crew and what they accomplished and clambering around the rigging like monkeys.

Todd has also worked on several movies including Master and Commander (Russell Crowe) and Pirates of the Caribbean where tall ships were required. He said that the stuntmen were quite frightened of being up in the rigging - I guess you have to spend a lot of time up there to feel comfortable being up there! Todd loves tall ships and said that the major Tall Ship events every year in Europe are amazing and worth going to should you get the chance. When I asked him about the Wind Spirit versus the Wind Surf, Todd answered that there is no comparison - the Spirit can sail circles around the Surf! The Wind Surf is currently the largest Tall Ship on the seas today both in length and tonnage. It was a very interesting presentation and we learned lots, along with about 20 other passengers who attended.

HOT TUB ON THE WIND SPIRIT DECK 4

This was followed by a presentation by Destinations Manager Gonzalo about future cruises coming up, and also the promotion to book today for a future PHANTOM CRUISE with Wind Star cruise line. You put down $100 per person non refundable deposit today and book your 2013 cruise within the next 90 days when the rest of the $650 PP deposit is required or defer booking until the 2014 cruise itineraries are available. The bonus is that you get a $100 pp shipboard credit on the current cruise, as well as a $100 pp shipboard credit on the cruise that you eventually book. We have asked a question about the price of the "cancel for any reason and get a credit for a future cruise" and are waiting to hear what that costs.

By lunch time we had almost everything packed apart from clothes and toiletries for tonight and tomorrow morning - unfortunately it doesn't weigh any less than when we brought the bags on board! I had also spent a couple of hours on the blog while sitting on deck (in the shade) watching the seas roll by, along with the gunard flying fish skimming along the tops of the waves! Lunch was Jamaican jerk chicken and chips for me, with Terry enjoying salad, blackened tilapia and shrimp, along with crackers and stilton, and brie! Life can be very hard on board the Wind Spirit -decisions, decisions, decisions!!

It's now 330pm - there is a blackjack tournament in the casino, a Wii session in the lounge with the activities staff, and here around the pool the blender is going as folks order their libation of choice (strawberry daiquiri at the moment I hear). Many folks are relaxing with a good book at the side of the deck - there are about 30 sun cots on the pool deck, and an additional 14 sun cots on the next half deck up the stairs. There are about 44 wicker seats with cushions at tables, and 9 high chairs at the bar, and UB40, Jimmy Buffet and Jimmy Cliff (I can see clearly now...) are taking it in turns on the speakers - enjoyable but not blasting too loud. Yes, everyone is relaxing and doing whatever they enjoy the most on their day at sea, and the last day of this cruise.

Many folks are doing two 7 day cruises back-to-back so they will also be on the Wind Spirit next week and over the New Year when exactly the same itinerary is repeated.

As we sail along, it is quite the experience to be sitting in our cabin on deck 1 (the lowest), looking out the twin port holes, and watching the sky and then the large rollers and occasionally seeing the wall of sea water completely wash over the portholes!
We watched the sunset - not the best of the cruise but most definitely the last! The breezes were blowing through the pool bar and it was a relaxing couple of hours before changing for dinner in AmphorA. First we had a farewell from Captain Todd followed by a short photographic collage from Gonzalo - our week on board Wind Spirit had flown by but we enjoyed every moment - we shall for sure cruise again on the Wind Spirit - but first we had to get back to the cabin and put our two checked bags out for handling by the crew - we shall see them again in the morning on the dock - with luck! It was early to bed , hoping that you had kept everything back that you would need tomorrow morning! We docked around 4am, we were awake every couple of hours during the night - that always seems to happen when you know that the next morning you are on the move! The Barbados Customs officials came on board from 5-7am, Terry went along at 5:30am to pick up our passports and give the immigration official our completed arrival forms - soon we would be handing in our exodus forms at the Grantley Adams airport when we leave for St Maarten.

Saturday December 29, 2012 disembark Wind Spirit and
fly with LIAT to St Maarten (via Dominica, Antigua)
At breakfast we said our Goodbyes to Ari and Putu while we had a fast rain shower and a massive double rainbow on the horizon - yes, the showers are still very much in the area. As we were about to leave the ship, I realised that I no longer had my ship ID card - this wasn't important for disembarking the Wind Spirit but really annoyed me since it had a brand new unused SD card for the camera in it. The little folder with these two items had been stuck in my pocket like glue for the whole week, but even though I returned to the cabin and Veranda I could not find it anywhere - frustrating!

We walked along the dock through the rain puddles (maybe 300 yards) and waited for about 15 minutes until our large bags arrived and then headed out for a taxi to the airport. The dispatch man sent over the taxi to us at the curb - "wait there , wait there" he said. The first taxi we sat in and our bags were loaded in the rear, the tax driver got in and said "Hello Mr and Mrs Harry Long!" we said no, that's not us - so out we got with our bags and walked further along to the taxi stand. We were loaded again with our bags into a van with about 12 small seats, where we waited for about 30 minutes until 6 other folks had been loaded with us. We then took a scenic drive of Barbados as we dropped off folks from the Wind Spirit at the Hilton, 2 ladies from the Star Clipper at Accra Beach Hotel, the last two from the Wind Spirit at the Little Arches guesthouse by Enterprise Beach and then a few more miles where we were dropped at the airport at 9:10 am by our taxi driver Emerson $35 USD for the two of us (it would have been $35 each with Wind Spirit but a faster arrival!).

No problem, our flight doesn't depart Barbados until 1:30pm. We checked in (my bag was 52 pounds and Terry's is 43 pounds) - we are carrying too much for our 5 week stint - my carryon bag weighs 32 pounds and Terry's is 36 pounds - that's a total of 163 pounds between us and I think the heaviest things are books, shoes, computers, plugs & cables, and toiletries! The other interesting thing is that we have a one way ticket from Barbados (via Dominica and Antigua) to St Maarten - so the agent at the checkin counter wanted to see our ticket for the cruise we are taking on the Tere Moana from St Maarten to Costa Rica. She disappeared "to see her Supervisor" and returned about 15 minutes later. They had taken photocopies of the entire 3 pages since we were flying in to St Maarten with only a one way ticket!

The sun is shining and we are now sitting in the comfortable area outside the terminal using free WIFI from the local communication company LIME sitting next to a waterfall (very loud) and cool breezes blowing through. We love Barbados and are sorry to leave without having more time to spend here and drive around the island - I guess that means we hope to come back - soon!!

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DEC 27, 2012 MAYREAU GRENADINES - SAIL, BBQ & BEACH

Dec 27, 2012 MAYREAU, GRENADINES - SAIL, BBQ AND BEACH

TOBAGO CAYS GRENADINES, CARIBBEAN - HEAVEN!!

What a great day this was. It was 2 years since we were here last on the Wind Surf and we had signed up to sail on the catamaran because we had enjoyed the day so much last time. There was a squall passed through just before breakfast at the Veranda restaurant on deck 4 but by the time we ate we were sitting in the sunshine. Wearing swimsuits, hats and sunscreen we left on the first tender at 930am for the Mayreau, Grenadines dock next to a beautiful long white sandy beach and absolutely crystal clear water where you could choose to spend the day should you wish. The crew were very busy unloading half the ship to prepare for a Beach BBQ and cold drinks all day long.

The small Grenadine Islands were first settled by the Arawaks and later by the Caribs. Mayreau is the smallest inhabited island in the Grenadines at only 1.5 square miles. It is essentially a private island first purchased by Monsieur de L'Isle in 1720 who grew huge amounts of cotton on the island with 6 Europeans and 66 African slaves shown in the 1773 records. Today Mayreau is still mostly privately owned, with the exception of 22 acres owned by a Canadian, and 21 acres of the village owned by St Vincent and the Grenadines, by a descendent of a lady in waiting of Empress Josephine who acquired the island during the Napoleonic Wars. Today Mayreau has no bank, no taxis and no buses and just one short road from the pier to the village at the top of the hill overlooking Saline Bay and beach, one of the many beautiful beaches that are on the island.

BUSY SALINE BEACH!

We walked the 100 yards from the dock we landed at to the second dock where the Wind and Sea catamaran Sun Spirit was tied up waiting for us with the same crew, Captain Bruno, hostess Michele, and First Mate Kendrick, from 2 days earlier at Tobago Cays. As soon as the 32 of us had jumped onboard, the ropes were untied and away we went. We sailed around Mayreau and could see the 50+ sailboats in a couple of anchorages anchored and hiding from the wind - it was going to be a good sail. We also passed a couple of multi million dollar luxury yachts and sail boats - there appears to be no end of very expensive private yachts here in the Caribbean! On the far side of Mayreau we could see the 4 masts of the Wind Spirit towering over the top of the island. Bruno and Kendrick hoisted the two very large sails and cut the motor, and we were under wind power only and loving every minute.

CHILLING ON BOARD SUN SPIRIT

We soon saw the uninhabited island - actually a small sand bar with one thatched palapa on it, and surrounded by the most brilliant aquamarine waters you could imagine - with about 4 or 5 private catamarans anchored outside the reef, where we also pulled up and anchored ourselves. Bruno and Kendrick pulled up the small grey zodiac, which had obviously done some hard work before, then pumped up the pontoons before loading us with our snorkel gear and my bag with my camera in it! They loaded 8 of us in the zodiac along with First Mate Kendrick. I think this small zodiac was probably rated for a total of 3!

As we made our way through the bumpy waves through the lagoon entrance, the water was flying at us over the front and coming in quite quickly over the back gunwhale. By the time we reached the beach (holding my camera bag protectively high in the air behind Terry's back) the water was about 8 inches deep inside the zodiac! I was not worried about ending up in the water myself but was very concerned about my camera ending up in the drink!

WIND SPIRIT FROM SUN SPIRIT

CRAB LICE ISLAND (I FORGET THE FRENCH NAME)

The island was a few square feet of perfection - crystal clear turquoise water and white talcum powder soft sand - heaven! We hung the camera bag under the palapa roof and set out to explore which took just a few minutes mostly spent looking skyward at the blue skies! Some folks went snorkelling but there wasn't very much to see and it was very bumpy due to the strong winds. Glad to say after 45 minutes or so we made it safely back to the Sun Spirit (without submerging up to our necks!) where it was lazing on the catamaran and consuming rum punch made with Very Strong Rum - that's exactly what the label on the bottle said "Very Strong Rum"!! (90% proof) We sailed all the way back to the pier with some good Marley tunes on the speakers and Capt Bruno telling us about the islands as we passed - Palm Island looks delightful, maybe that will be on our itinerary one of these days! We arrived around 1pm, so we had a great 3+ hours sailing and swimming around Mayreau.

CAPTAIN JAN?????

Back on the beach the lunch was well underway, so we enjoyed salad, burgers, and sausage - we needed to soak up that rum! We did a quick turnaround and went sailing again all afternoon - it had been just too much fun! We didn't go across to the tiny island for a swim but enjoyed lazing on the nets at the front of the catamaran. It was truly the perfect day for us and when we returned we even had an hour left before the last tender which gave us enough time to walk along Saline Beach and enjoy a relax in the warm crystal clear water off the beach. We could hardly believe that this was our last day in the Grenadines before heading North back to Barbados where we would disembark early on Dec 29th. We made the most of it - there were only half a dozen of us left just floating around in a very gentle swell rolling into the beach - this beach and bay are protected from the prevalent winds from the East.

BEAUTIFUL WIND SPIRIT

We were on the last tender going back to the Wind Spirit - enough time for a speedy change into dry clothes, then back up top for the sunset and sailaway - you guessed it - Vangelis 1492 as the sails were raised! We can never listen to Vangelis 1492 without remembering and feeling that wonderful sensation of being back aboard the Wind Surf or Wind Spirit. We have been on the 300 passenger Wind Surf twice, and this is our first time on the smaller 146 passenger Wind Spirit - we were a little concerned that it would feel too small, but absolutely not. We have found that the public areas are well laid out and are comfortable, we have never found ourselves wishing for more space. The sailing sensation is also felt a little more on the Spirit than the Surf.

WHAT A GLORIOUS DAY AT THE BEACH!

Dinner was at Candles - a romantic dining area set up around the pool each evening on Deck 4 at 7:30pm - we had reserved several days ago (dining by reservation only) and there were about 4 larger tables for 6 to 8 set up as well as our table for two. This is the same menu every night including shrimp and scallop ceviche, caesar salad, filet mignon, strawberry creme brulee. We really enjoyed the meal, Wahid from Sulawesi is an excellent waiter, top notch service but we have to admit our appetites were not huge! After a very full day in the sun, sea and sand we were ready to crash early. We had both had too much sun in spite of the 35 sunblock and were very hot! Fortunately neither of us were extremely burned, and apart from waking up in the middle of the night soaking wet from being so hot - all was cool the next morning for our last day "at sea" on the way to Barbados!




Cheers ..... Jan Umbach
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ST GEORGE'S GRENADA BOXING DAY DEC 26 2012

Wed DECEMBER 26, 2012 - BOXING DAY IN GRENADA, CARIBBEAN
arrival 8am all aboard 945pm

When we looked out of our porthole shortly after 6am, all we could see was the concrete wall of the pier -looks like we were docked!   After checking the news (several channels available depending on the satellite including BBC, MSNBC) we had a leisurely stroll up for breakfast arriving to blue skies and sunshine just as a passing shower passed by!  We wiped off the seats while PUTU wiped off the glass topped tables with a squeegee, and positioned our chairs to keep the sun out of our eyes while we ate breakfast enjoying the views of the hills of St George's Grenada all around us.

After breakfast we sat at the back of the ship at a table bringing the last of the blog up to date so that we could use the WIFI in St George's.  In this area at the back of the Wind Spirit starboard side is the only place where the passengers are allowed to smoke.  I was surprised at how many folks came for their morning fag - and amongst these several young folks.  Being a Christmas Cruise there are many multi generation families on board - Grandparents, children and grandchildren.  The youngest grandchildren are in their late teens or early 20's and there must be at least a dozen amongst the families.  The majority of the passengers are from USA and Canada, with much smaller numbers from UK and Switzerland.

Anyway - we are docked at the old main pier (not the new cruise ship terminal) where we first docked in January 1998 with Mom and Dad - we were here for their 50th wedding Anniversary.  Docked behind us is the Voyager from the Voyages of Discovery cruise line.  We hear there are more cruise ships docked at the main cruise ship pier on the other side of the harbour.  We are now about to head out and explore!!!

We walked around the old Harbour (saying No to all the taxi drivers - no problem they were just  looking for a fare, not aggressive) and took photos of St Georges- it is a really pretty half moon shaped harbour, with lots of colourful buildings around the harbour and going up the steep hills behind the harbour.  St Georges has quite a history from invasion to a devastating hurricane in 2004.  Columbus "discovered" Grenada back in 1492 on his 3rd voyage but the indigenous Carib Indians were most unfriendly so it was not colonized until 1650 when the French founded St George's.  Then the island went backwards and forwards between the British and French until Grenada became a British Colony in 1783 and remained so until independence in 1974.  There was turmoil in 1983 when it was invaded by the USA due to what appeared to be a communist takeover in Grenada backed by Cuba.  This was an overnight invasion, over as quickly as it started, and that was the end of the Cuba communism supported threat in Grenada - now it continues as a beautiful, if small, 21 miles by 13 miles island (population 110,000)  known as the Spice Island - the biggest nutmeg producer in the world and also a myriad of additional spices including cloves, cocoa, ginger, vanilla and every fruit you could think of.

Touring the island is not fast due to the mountains and narrow winding roads.  Grenada is situated in the Southern Caribbean about 100 miles north of Venezuela and seldom sees hurricanes, but in 2004 Hurricane Ivan devastated St George's which is home to about one third of the population, 35,000, and destroyed almost 90% of the buildings which are slowly recovering but it has been a long slow process.

The harbour entrance was protected since the 1700's by two forts and we had visited the larger Fort George on a previous visit - located high up with wonderful views.  Due to the long way around from the old harbour to the newer harbour (where the cruise ship pier is located) a tunnel was dug through the mountain making this a pleasant walk.  Essentially nothing was open in the Old Harbour and the only stores open on the other side of the tunnel were the stores in the cruise ship pier - there were a couple of large cruise ships visiting (a big Celebrity ship and the Silversea Silver Spirit).  Given that it was Boxing Day it's amazing that any stores were open!  We also found free WIFI outside the LIME communications centre and managed to sendoff a couple of quick emails and update our blog.

Wandering back through the tunnel we headed for BB Crabcake, a small local restaurant on the waterfront that came highly recommended.  We were looking for a cold Caribe beer and our timing was perfect.  We had no sooner had the ice cold draft Caribe $8 US for two half pints) than the rain started and it was a tropical downpour - very heavy and quite short, just long enough to enjoy our beer while we watched every table in the restaurant moved inside and wiped down while everyone waited to sit down again!  Then we wandered back around the harbour which looked freshly painted with vibrant colours after being washed down by the rain.  All the local fishermen were back in port for the Holiday Season and we enjoyed a conversation with 3 locals, including Captain Willy and a young Rastafarian,  eating lunch on the deck of their boat which had seen many years of service.  Captain Willy told us they go out for two weeks at a time fishing then return to St George's to sell their catch: red snapper, tuna, mahi mahi.

Back at the Wind Spirit we ate a light lunch and enjoyed a lazy afternoon looking forward to the BBQ on deck that night.  The BBQ was excellent, especially for me the crab salad in avocado and the grilled lobster - I had seconds that lobster was cooked to perfection!  Just as enjoyable was the Angels Harps steel band (known as the best in Grenada) who came on board and played for over two hours - just great music and smooth - wonderful music! They headed off around 930pm and then it was line dancing!  The Wind Spirit does this perfectly - a good number of staff members have learned the routines - so they all get up and start dancing - this encourages the guests to  get up and join in since there is already a good crowd on deck!   Everyone had lots of fun and after several tunes there was a long conga line around the deck.  Then the anchor was raised, the Wind Spirit turned towards the harbour entrance, and the sails were being raised as we slipped away.  Vangelis 1492 was on the speakers as we sailed away from St George's, Grenada and before long the twinkling lights were fading away on the horizon and all we could hear was the wind in the sails on the Wind Spirit.  The full moon was out too with clear skies and all the ships flags over the deck.  The best relaxation anyone could wish for before retiring to the gentle rolling of the ship on the swells of the Caribbean Sea.

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TOBAGO CAYS CHRISTMAS DAY DEC 25 2012

DECEMBER 25, 2012 CHRISTMAS in the CARIBBEAN
MERRY CHRISTMAS
Maligayang Pasko Tagalog (Philippines)
Selama Hari Natal - Indonesian
Well here we are - Christmas in the Caribbean, it's 7am and we're pulling into the Tobago Cays - the beautiful sand spits completely uninhabited. In fact out of our porthole we can see Petit Tabac - the island where the deserted island scene in Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl was filmed with Johnny Depp!! After a Merry Christmas we find our way up to the Veranda for breakfast midships outdoors on deck 4. We have fresh tropical fruits with muesli and crispy warm pastries for breakfast then head down to the lounge where we have a 9am departure for snorkelling the Tobago Cays at the 4km Horseshoe Reef and our second stop is snorkelling with the turtles on Christmas Day - how wonderful is that!??

The Tobago Cays are an archipelago of 5 uninhabited Islands - Petit Rameau, Petit Bateau, Baradal, Petit Tabac and Jamesby. They are the key element in a 1400 acre sand bottom lagoon Tobago Cays Marine Park run by the St Vincent and Grenadines Government. They are surrounded by 3 larger inhabited islands of Union Island, Mayreau and Canouan. Mayreau and the Tobago Cays were privately owned from the 16th century until April 1999 when, after long negotiations, the Tobago Cays were purchased by the State of St Vincent & the Grenadines but Mayreau remained in private hands.

We have to choose a breakfast table outside in the shade - much too hot in the sun even though the tables are all under canvas sails. Putu and Ati wish us "Selamat Hari Natal" Merry Christmas from our Indonesian and Bali crew, and "Maligayang Pasko" in Tagalog from our Philippino crew. The latte coffee and iced water are needed to hydrate us for the day ahead in the water, on the beach and in the sun.

At 9 am we are called and boarded onto the zodiacs 10 passengers at a time - are we still in Borneo or are we now in the Caribbean? The seas are quite bouncy and there are massive black clouds on the horizon, but we are soon helped on board the large Wind and Sky catamaran with Kendrick and Michelle and Captain ? looking after us. We sail first to Horseshoe Reef - the wind is quite strong but snorkelling to the reef is no problem and as part of the marine park here we really enjoy the wide variety of fish: stop light parrot fish, blue tang, damsels. trunk fish, pipe fish, lots of soft and hard corals, sergeant majors. file fish, star fish, and a fish cleaning station, - we really enjoyed ourselves although the surface was bouncy and a little too much for some passengers not used to snorkelling.

Back on board we cruised just around the corner from Horseshoe Reef to a spit of sand which is the Baradal Turtle Sanctuary where many green and hawksbill turtles can be seen and where there were lots of anchored private and charter sailboats close by - all visiting for Christmas - and this is where the turtles lay their eggs and feed on the sea grass - we must have seen 7 turtles in the 10 minutes before we jumped in the water to snorkel - all swimming just under the surface, or down 10 feet to feed on the grass, and then popping to the surface to breathe. When we jumped in to snorkel we saw more turtles than we have ever seen before - at one point had 4 turtles in a 10 square foot area underneath me, Terry had 2 turtles swimming the opposite direction. It was superb even though the sea was choppy the visibility was endless!

Those who couldn't swim so well had been pushed by the current to the sandy beach where the zodiac picked them up and brought them back to the catamaran - on and off the catamaran into the aquamarine water was easy - down the steps between the two front pontoons or off one of the two steps at the back of the two pontoons. Some folks came along for the ride and really enjoyed themselves to say nothing of the (very potent) rum punch after everyone had finished snorkelling! Actually I really can't say that nobody got wet! The clouds that had been resting on the horizon moved towards us and started to welcome us to Christmas Day with very wet drops! We got soaked after we came in from viewing the turtles and dried off! Not to worry - the Captain played and sang Christmas songs, crew member Michelle and Kendrick poured the rum punch and we had fun! We had taken along our two red Santa hats with animal fur trim and everyone took photos to remember Christmas Day in the Caribbean when they went home.

We sailed past the beach where you could spend the day(watersports, paddleboards, kayaking) - everyone off the Wind Spirit looked as though they were having fun in spite of the rain! We soon managed to transfer from the Wind and Sea catamaran to the zodiacs from the Wind Spirit and get on board. After warm showers and drying off we were soon in the Veranda eating lunch - as always a significant variety including Caribbean crepes, chicken burgers, and salmon wellington and as always a lovely fresh salad with lots of fixings. Putu and Ati, two of our crewmen from Bali and Jakarta, were taking good care of us.

The skies looked as though they were getting brighter so I suggested to Terry that we take the zodiac back over to the beach on one of the uninhabited cays - so we grabbed our gear and off we went with Gibson driving the zodiac and just Terry and I as passengers wearing our mandatory life jackets. It was a wet landing on the beach and the Wind Spirit table set up with cold refreshments. Just at that point the winds started to pick up and within one minute we were in the middle of what appeared to be hurricane winds! The rain poured so hard that we couldn't even see the Wind Spirit which was only a couple hundred yards from the shore!

We chatted with Wilma from Union Island who was set up with her table selling tshirts, sarongs, shell jewellery and two chaps with her selling fresh BBA lobster. Wilma had 8 boys (and gave up trying to get a daughter at that point!) all of whom live elsewhere than Union Island which has approximately 5,000 population. They come by small boat to this deserted beach (about 20 minutes from Union Island) since this is where all the sail boats are anchored - a beautiful location, but today everyone was on their sail boat and hiding from the rain so no sales of clothing or lobster - what a disappointing way to spend Christmas Day for these hard working folks.

The rain and winds (think tropical downpour or hurricane )started to let up after about 30 minutes so we decided to head back to the Wind Spirit and take advantage of the break in the weather!

Back on board we dried ourselves off again and put on dry clothes before spending the afternoon listening to Christmas Carols and relaxing with a good book! The skies started clearing and we pulled away a little early at 4:30pm, when everyone was back on board, listening to Van Gelis 1942 as we headed to Grenada where we would dock around 10pm and get a very good night's sleep!

But first we went to the "REPEATERS" cocktail party in the lounge at 5:30pm until 6:15 and enjoyed champagne and wine plus very nice appetizers - tempura asparagus, spicy meat balls, crackers with salmon mousse, or cucumber and proscutio, tint wraps with cream cheese - very delightful. We met Pat and Stephen from Arizona, and Darlene and Harry from Rochester, New York - and we all chatted non stop until dinner at 7pm. Gonzalo (Destination Manager) and Jason (hotel Manager) welcomed us all and we even had carols sung to us by the ship's Doctor from the Philippines.

At dinner we were seated by Karma the Maitre'D and joined by Harry and Darlene where our conversation and philosophies continued unabated until bed time. A traditional turkey dinner was offered (Terry said it was delicious) but I opted for the ahi tuna and fingerling potatoes - cooked to perfection! The Christmas Pudding for dessert was a little dry and not enough brandy sauce for my liking although it was beautifully presented!




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PIGEON ISLAND ST LUCIA CHRISTMAS EVE DEC 24 2012

DEC 24, 2012 PIGEON ISLAND, ST LUCIA
CHRISTMAS EVE - HOW MARVELLOUS!

We looked out the port hole and saw Pigeon Island and the Fort on top! It's about 3 years since we climbed to the Fort on top - quite steep but so hot! Today we would be quite happy to just look up! Sandals Grand Antigua is along the beach here, very noticable with all the red roofs and suncots and cabanas along the beach. Wind Spirit would be running tenders between the island and the ship and had an arrangement for sun cots on the beach for anyone wishing to swim, snorkel or just hang out.

There are several tours available today, zip line, dive, snorkel, sight seeing and visit the town of Castries, or island sight see and visit the town of Souffriere. Since we have been here twice before we decided to have a quiet day and make it as far as the dock! We had a slow breakfast chatting with Putu and Ari - 2 very enjoyable crew members from Bali. They give such great service - as soon as you sit down at the Veranda they arrive with coffee for Terry, and latte for me. There is a wide variety of hot items to order, eggs any way, California, Spanish, or traditional eggs benedict amongst the list! My favourite item is the fresh muesli with fruit, sometimes followed by a piece of toast, english muffin, or Danish pastry (Terry is exercising massive control this time and restraining himself to only 1 or 2 pastries!)

We took the tender over to the island and sat at the small restaurant close by along the water where we had been told they had free internet if you bought a drink - so with cold beer local PITON beer and a diet coke, we spent over an hour sending and retrieving emails - while watching the sailboats pass by, the clouds coming and going, and relaxing in the sun. The restaurant, called Jambe de Bois (wooden leg or Peg Leg) named after a 16th Century Pirate who visited these shores. The WIFI connection was excellent and we saw several Wind Spirit crew members enjoying lunch and skyping on their phones with their families in Bali and Philippines - it was already Christmas Day in Asia and you could tell that the conversations were happy, but that the crew were wishing to be home with their families for Christmas.

Jambe de Bois had a pretty large menu and the smells from the kitchen were mouth watering. There is an outdoors deck, where we sat, with a variety of old wooden tables, chairs and benches - all with very unique characteristics and some of the furniture made from wood washed up on shore. It reminded us of Bankie Banks bar in Anguilla although that bar and restaurant sprawls much more than Jambe de Bois. We thought about a swim, but the last tender was leaving the dock at 2:45 for a scenic cruise along the Western Coast of St Lucia finishing with a scenic cruise past the Pitons around sunset. We decided to head back to the Wind Spirit. Sitting in a very old and faded yellow plastic kayak was a rastafarian with his arm hanging on to the dock - sitting on the dock he had about a dozen turtles made of shells for sale. We chatted with him - his children are in Canada and will be arriving today for Christmas. They have been granted the opportunity to finish their two final years of schooling in Canada and he is obviously very proud of them.
Pigeon Island used to be a small island just off the island of St Lucia. Several years ago they built a causeway (land fill) so that Pigeon Island is now connected, and part of, St Lucia but it has still retained its' name of Pigeon island. The Fort on Pigeon Island has a history of its' own.

We raised anchor and set off as promised - all 5 sails were raised and Wind Spirit looked beautiful as we sailed along the coast with the engines off. We arrived at the Pitons around 5pm and anchored - we could see all the cameras flashing in the various resorts and hotels up and down the very steep mountains here that drop, like all fjords, thousands of feet into the ocean - what a beautiful photo opportunity they had with the beautiful 5 white sails of the Wind Spirit set against the two pointed PITONS mountains and the sun setting behind us on the horizon.

Meanwhile we waited for the 20 folks on the Souffriere and Pitons Tour to arrive and come aboard by tender. They were obviously late arriving since it was pitch black when we went inside to get showered and changed for dinner and they still had not arrived. Folks on the morning sightseeing tour to Castries had arrived back just before 1pm, very late, and they said the traffic in Castries was a nightmare - gridlock - and that was how we remembered the traffic in St Lucia. When we had stayed at Sandals Grand St Lucia several years before - the resort would provide a shuttle to take you to the other two Sandals properties in St Lucia - the Sandals Halycon and Sandals? Golf Resort. Each time we took the shuttle we always seemed to spend for ever in the bus held up in traffic - and you could be sure that with today being Christmas Eve, last day of shopping for the locals and visitors alike, that the traffic would be worse than ever.

Dinner tonight was Terry's favourite - Beef Wellington - although he has not found any restaurant yet as good as the beef Wellington we used to have at Oliver's in Calgary 20+ years ago! Terry looked forward to dinner all day - the menu is posted every morning in the very centre of the ship by the shore excursion/pursers' office. We had a quiet table for 2 and dinner was excellent - we enjoyed a bottle of Rutherfords Cabernet Sauvignon from Sonoma California - very smooth and recommended by Cesar the sommelier on board. Tomorrow is snorkelling in the Tobago Cayes - time to get some rest and be ready for the day ahead!

BEQUIA DEC 23,2012

SUNDAY DEC 23, 2012 BEQUIA, GRENADINES CONTINUED

We continued walking around the harbour stopping to talk to another charismatic Rastafarian with very long rasta locks wound in massive loops on top of his head. He was sitting in the front yard of his brothers house, which was covered in a myriad of comments all painted on the walls. This chap spoke to us of how disappointed he was in today's population on Bequia - how when he was a kid every family used to grow their own crops in the yard and the ground was covered in grass in crops and today everything is barren - which was also the state of the fenced garden he was sitting in! I have to admit that between the strong Caribbean accents and the discussion topics I couldn't easily follow what each Rastafarian was telling me, other than the Rasta religion is significant and very precious to them.

Eventually, almost 5 hours later, we caught the tender back to the ship - at the dock Wind Spirit had set up a water station under a sun umbrella which also had very tasty freshly made tiny shortbread cookies - there was a also a starving little dog sitting there who loved the shortbread cookies that I gave him! Considering how thin and hungry he was, he amazed me by taking each cookie so gently from me.

Back at the Wind Spirit it was a quick 5 minute change into swimsuits then back on to the zodiac departing for St Margaret's beach, a couple of miles around the coast from the harbour. A long golden sandy beach with beach hollows scooped out , obviously from where the waves had pounded onto the beach when the water was rough. Today the ocean had good swells which just made for fun floating up and down in the water and laughs as we entered and exited the water, perhaps not quite as elegantly as we would have liked should anyone have been taking photos at the time! There was a restaurant at the dock where we landed at St Margaret - Jack's - which looked very nicely done, and again it was frequented by the sailors anchored in the harbour with lots of small rubber tenders tied up there. It cost 2 EC for a Jack's customer to lie in a sun cot, or 15EC for a non Jack's customer to lie in one of Jack's suncots on the beach. There 3 or 4 locals also renting a few sun cots and selling miscellaneous beach items - noone actively or aggressively approaching the beach goers, just passively sitting by their goods ready to sell to anyone interested in buying them.

The last tender was at 4:45 back to the Wind Spirit and we were soon showered and changed for the sail away from Port Elizabeth, Bequia to the strains of Van Gelis 1942.

Wind Spirit at Pigeon Island St Lucia Christmas Eve

Merry christmas Eve 2012 from St Lucia

DEC 22, 2012 BARBADOS & EMBARKING THE WIND SPIRIT IN BARBADOS

Dec 22, 2012 DEPART BARBADOS & EMBARK THE WIND SPIRIT

THe morning was quite cloudy and so watched the sun rise making its' way up behind some very large clouds on the horizon. After morning coffee on the deck we closed the bags and checked out downstairs, leaving our bags with the bellman for pickup later - checkin on board the Wind Spirit was not until 3pm.

Off we went in our half a car (KIA) with towels for the beach. The Hilton is very close to the main town of Bridgetown (yes, I am pretty sure that the town got its' name from the bridge that connects the two side of the town over the river), then about 1 mile further on is theexit to the cruise ship pier first passing the Pelican Arts & Craft Centre - built for the convenience of the cruise ship passengers. We continued on around the island up the West Coast (our favourite side of the island with beautiful white sandy beaches, some coral for snorkelling and one area where) there are lots of turtles. Also on the West are many exclusive homes and resorts including the Fairmont, Sand Bay Golf Resort and close to town a building site with "future site of the Four Seasons resort" but that has been there for as long as we can remember!

In Barbados due to the British influence, you drive on the left side of the road, and at all the major intersections there are roundabouts, all named after some prominent politician or local character in Barbados. There is now a wide and fast highway that runs pretty much through the centre of Barbados to help you get North to South and East to West on the island but we enjoy taking the old road that runs around the island. There are lots of buses you can take very reasonably that say B'TOWN as they head into Bridgetown, or on the West side of the island, SP'TOWN as they head out of town towards Speightstown.


Our first stop was at The ROTI hut for our lunch - we pulled up in shock. The doors to the tiny bright pink building on the corner of the street was closed, and there were 4 men busy painting the larger building next door in fluorescent orange with white trim on the windows and steps. "what are you looking for" said one of the painters, when we answeed "The ROTI shack" he siad, oh no problem it's still here - it had moved into the orange building since we were here last and was just getting a new coat of paint so there were no signs today! We went inside and it is a huge improvement - they now have tables and chairs inside, and a br with high stools - very nicey done! So we sat and enjoyed our curried chicken and potato roti (wrapped in an envelope of flat dough) with a Banks' beer and diet coke - all for $34 Barbados dollars ($17 USD).

Then we continued North to Mullins Bay - a beach we have always been fond of. We were surprised to see that the beach was quite steep today and much narrower than our previous trips, due to the water and ind conditions. In fact even while wewere there you really had to time your entry and exit from the water and miss that 7th and 8th wave unless you wanted to go for a submersed entry or exit! One couple on the beach were lying contentedly on their towels when one huge wave came racing up the beach and practically floated them out to sea - he spent the next 30 minutes walking up and down the beach trying to dry out his shorts (he was NT wearing a swimsuit!)

All too soon it was time to head back to pick up our bags from the Hilton, we stopped at the CHATTEL HOUSES along the road - 10 brightly painted houses, each constrcted the way the original Barbados homes used to be, all wooden and each in a different colour - these are a shopping centre selling made in Barbados goods as well as designer clothing and shoes. Barbados probably has some of the nicest and most unique times for sale anywhere in the Caribbean. There is still a huge British influence here with lots of businesses and homes owned by British folks. We also heard far more German spoken here than we have before, and there has always been a large number of Canadians and US citizens taking vacations here as well.

We soon had our bags in our half a car and were back to the cruise ship pier, dropping off the car right at the pier and dropping our keys into the highly secure wooden hole in the door in the Stoutes wooden shack that said "Key Drop Here"! The it was a 2 minute checkin at the Wind Spirit table, our bags were taken away to be delivered to the ship, and we were driven the hundred yards and on to the ship we went - walking past the huge long line of hundreds of folks waiting to board the Celebrity Eclipse also in harbour that day. We were handed a welcome rum punch, had our photos taken and Wind Spirit cards issued and it was time for a quick bite before the Verandah restaurant shut at 4pm. With only 146 passengers max on the ship there were no lines anywhere.

At 615pm we had the mandatory emergency drill, followed by a wonderful dinner in the AmphorA lounge - portobello mushroom with cheese, pear with goat cheese salad, chicken calypso (Terry had sea bass) followed by chocolate cake with coconut - an excellent dinner. Monty from Denver and Matt from Zurich Switzerland shared our table and we had really interesting evening - in fact we sat there for 3 hours and were the last folks out of the dining room - so you know that we didn't make it to the small casino on board (poker and blackjack tables as well as a few slot machines) or to the lounge to listen to, or sing along with, John the piano player from New York.

For those of you who know how much I have always loved the blue glass dishes and glassware on the Wind Star cruise line, they have now all been changed. The glassware is now clear and the glass charger plates with wavy edges are a beautiful black and gold - truly beautiful and would fit with my African theme at home, but I have to say that I still prefer the previous aqua coloured charger plates - too bad - they are gone! In fact this cruise is the very first cruise for the Wind Spirit after its' refit and upgrade. The cabins are beautiful - new linens with thick fluffy towels, and pure white cotton sheets and pillowcases all edged in navy trim - very nautical and fresh looking.

There are 4 decks on the Wind Spirit - decks 1 and 2 are the staterooms, deck 3 the main floor for the casino, library,large main lounge with very comfortable seating and large enough for everyone - one decorated Christmas tree the only nod to this being a Christmas sailing , main entrance, AmphorA restaurant. The 4th deck is all outside with the Verandah indoor and outdoor restaurant (almost everyone prefers to be outdoors although inside is beautifully done), the sun deck, the tiny swimming pool (good for dunking but one length would be you touching one end with your toes and the other end with your finger tips - this could be a slight exaggeration!). We really like the ship - the public areas are beautifully done and it feels quite spacious. The 5th deck is a small deck at the aft of the ship, overlooking the sun and pool area, with two large wooden ships' wheels and room for a dozen sun cots. This is where we you can watch the sails being hoisted when we leave port.

The Wind Spirit can motor at 11 knots per hour, but with all the sails up it can sail at over 15 knots per hour! These ships boast to sailing at least 70% of the time with the sails up and as often as they can with no motor. The Wind Star cruise line works extremely hard to be as eco friendly as they can be and sailing with the wind is very eco friendly and what the passengers are looking for. There are for ?feet tall masts and massive sails on this ship. There is no pulling sheets (ropes) to hoist the sails - it is all done by technology at the bridge and so exciting to see. All 3 of the Wind Star ships (the Spirit and Star at 146 passengers each, and the Surf at 300 passengers) are elegant to see and look impossibly beautiful when all the sails are up. It does not lie on its' side like a regular sail boat but the sails are adjusted as need be to take advantage of the wind but to keep the ship upright with a small side to side as it slices through the waves.

Tonight we left Barbados at 9:30pm (scheduled to leave at 10pm)- giving everyone chance to arrive in Barbados from their various flights in Europe and North America. The lights of Barbados were fading quickly as we headed West towards the Grenadine Islands - tiny little islands in the country of St Vincent & the Grenadines. We were last here on the Wind Surf in December 2010 and I suspect not much has changed in the last 2 years!

DEC 23, 2012 BEQUIA, GRENADINES

SUNDAY DEC 23, 2012 BEQUIA, GRENADINES
Well there was definitely a sideways roll from side to side last night as we sailed from Barbados to Bequia and in the middle of the night I was woken by a door opening and one roll, the closing on the roll to the other side. I was not going to get any sleep so out of bed I got and open and shut every door since I could not figure out which door was the problem! Minutes after I was back in bed It started again! Up I got again and opened and slammed the closet door (I had done it gently the frst time so as not to wake Terry but obviously not hard enough!). Back in bed - it started again - by now Terry was awake and he got out of bed and opened the mini bar - a little starnge time for a drink I thought! But no, he had seen wine bottles lying down in the bar the night before and they were lying sideways, so he turned them to the opposite direction - sure enough - they no longer rolled from side to side - and the noises stopped! It was not a door opening and closing at all!

By the way - you pay for all alcoholic beverages in the mini bar but the water and sodas are included. You can also buy an "all inclusive" beverage package for $49 per person plus 15% gratuities - both persons in the cabin have to buy it (one of the two cannot buy it just for them self) and you have to buy it for the entire cruise - you can't select certain days. The package includes almost everything except for premium spirits and champagnes, and wine by the glass which costs more than $10 glass. The Wind Star cruiseline carries a really nice New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc white wine that we enjoy called Chasing Venus - it is $22 bottle plus 15% gratuity. There is no way we need to purchase the beverage package!

As a result of our middle of the night "door slamming" activities we didn't wake up until 820 am (420am in Sechelt) unbelievable - but no doubt a result of early morning wake ups for the last 3 days! We were just pulling into the harbour and were amazed as we looked out of our porthole at the huge number of sail boats anchored in the bay - there were at least 100 - all here for the Christmas season travelling the Caribbean. The Grenadine Islands are a very popular area for private, and chartered, sailboats to spend the Winter. We saw flags and home towns on some of the sailboats from Norway, Sweden, Germany, Canada, USA, Washington State, Toronto, to name a few.

There are 3 places with varying times, for breakfast each morning - continental by the pool on deck 3 or early morning risers, the Verandah on deck 3 for the main breakfast buffet and a la carte ordering, and the pool from 10 until noon for late risers continental breakfast. We threw on shorts and tshirts, grabbed a coffee by the pool and headed to the main lounge for the presentation by Gondalo from Uruguay, the destination Manager on board responsible for shore excursions. There were only about 10 of us at the presentation but it was excellent information and we decided to book the Tobago Cays sail and snorkel for Christmas Day, the clear bottom kayak trip in Grenada, and the catamaran sailing trip in Mayreau Grenadines - we're looking forward to all three!

Afterwards we ate a small continental lunch in the Verandah before taking the tender over to the island of Bequia. We walked along the main frontage road and listened to the singing coming from St ? Anglican Church - outside there were 2 old bells hanging by a rope from the ? foundry and cast in 1866!! The church had all the doors wide open and everything was painted in blue and white - definitely a Caribbean Church! We checked out The Garden boutique across the street - the European owner had lived in Bequia for the last 30 years and opened this store 20 years ago carrying large amounts of hand painted and batik clothing, sarongs and linens - all made locally in Bequia. For a tiny island (5000 square miles) with a population of little more than 5,000 we were surprised at the number of restaurants and supply stores - but of course this is the busy season in Bequia when all the sailboats arrive - all looking to take a break on shore and eat and drink at the local bars and restaurants, get items fixed that may have broken on their sailboats, and also replenish their food and beverage supplies. There are signs announcing order your pizza at VHF47 - so you can even get pizza delivered to your sail boat!

Gondalo had told us of Mac's Pizza restaurant where they made lobster pizza with lots of lobster - highly recommended so we took the recommendation! We walked along the frontage - a two foot wide concrete walkway in front of the restaurants, dive shops, stores and hotels - every time a large swell came in we would jump up or get wet feet and legs! We soon stumbled on Mac's and went to the upstairs deck and ordered their special of the day - lobster pizza! The 9 inch pizza was $90 EC, the 11 inch $110 and the 13" was $115EC. The EC - Eastern Caribbean Currency) is 2.6 to the US$.

It took about 45 minutes for the pizza while we enjoyed the views of the harbour and a couple of diet cokes, all the while listening to the blender as they blended many, many cans of Hunt's tomatoes into tomato sauce - no doubt the base for the pizza! They were also selling Christmas Tree shortbread cookies - $1.50 Ec each or $15Ec for a dozen.
When the pizza arrived it was excellent and far more than we could eat! We took back several pieces wrapped in aluminum foil for Gondalo.

Ultimately we soent nearly 5 hours enjoying Bequia and talking to the locals there before taking the tender back to the Wind Spirit. This really surprised us since it is a small island and we had visited before. Bequia has several, if not many, Rastafarians living there - you could smell the Ganga (marijuana) lingering all over the place and there wee several characters with very interesting faces that we spoke to. After visiting Ethiopia earlier this year we had visited the Rastaland given to the Rastafarians in Ethiopia by Haillie Selassie. here in Bequia we saw several pictures of Haille pinned to the walls and the locals loved to talk to us about their religion and the King of Kings when they knew we were interested in Rasta and had visited Ethiopia.

We also had a discussion with one young man who had just opened a small market building along the front street. His Mother and 3 sisters had moved to Montreal (and still lived there) when he was 4, and had returned for a visit once when he was 9 and again when he was 16 - so he had been living with his Dad or own his own since he was 4 years old. He was now trying to make a business for himself in the green grocery business. His Mother had sent him funds to purchase a fridge and freezer so he was hoping to provide more goods than the locals who had the open air stands along the road with fruit and vegetables (which is where he had started his business). He was so proud of what he had and took us through the store explaining every piece of fruit and vegetable and what it was. That night he was taking the 1 hour ferry ride to St Vincent - the large island next to Bequia - to pick up more supplies for his store. We really like this young man and hope he is in Bequia and doing well when we return next time.

Wednesday DEC 18-20, 2012 VANCOUVER - DALLAS  FORT WORTH - MIAMI - BARBADOS

HEADING TO THE FERRY, SUNSHINE COAST BC CANADA

Well the trip started off with some excitement - it snowed all morning in Sechelt on the Sunshine Coast BC Canada!  We  almost never get snow but today was the day!  Fortunately we had no snow settling on the ground but it was very pretty to watch those soft white flakes coming down in their thousands.  We drove to the BC ferries terminal at Langdale, and due to the many micro climates on the coast where we live, there was lots of snow as we reached the Langdale ferry terminal as our altitude increased a little and the weather backed up against Mt Elphinstone and the North Shore mountains in Vancouver.  

We arrived on time into Horseshoe Bay after the 40 minute ferry trip and the weather was getting worse with every mile!  By the time we arrived downtown Vancouver the traffic was very heavy, there were buses stopped all over the place and it got worse!  We went over the bridge and then got stuck on Granville street it was closed - the streets were rutted ice and there were cars sliding everywhere!  On the news we heard all the traffic and weather reports - the brand new Port Mann Bridge opened just two weeks earlier was closed due to ice falling from the overhead struts and damaging cars and injuring passengers in the cars!  The TransLink bus service had most of their buses stopped all over the city because of the slippery roads.  The Vancouver City folks responsible for the roads said this was the worst combination of weather causing havoc on the roads that they had seen in 7 years - but not to worry - the bicycle lanes had priority and 3 men assigned to them to keep them clear!!

Suffice it to say we finally arrived at Vancouver airport more than 2 hours after leaving the Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal - we were so glad to have not had an accident with the car!  It was good to have had the 4WD as we used it all through downtown Vancouver.  We left the Jeep at Park N Fly and enjoyed a well earned beverage with dinner.  Tomorrow we fly to Miami via Dallas Fort Worth with American Airlines - our flight departs at 840am.

Thursday Dec 19, 2012 Vancouver to Miami via Dallas

Well everything went smoothly for us.  The usual service on the flights these days (we were flying American Airlines) we actually had 1 free checked bag and got a cup of coffee on 1 flight and a coke on the next flight!  Not to worry, Terry had picked up a box of 20 TIMBITS (donuts) in Vancouver at Tim Hortons and a mocha coffee!  In Dallas we picked up a tuna salad sandwich and cobb salad as we walked from gate to gate.  We only had a 45 minute connect time between flights and it's a good job we weren't any later arriving since our flight Dallas to Miami was over sold by 18 seats!!!!

We arrived in Miami and had to take the SKYTRAIN to get to the luggage carousel, our luggage arrived yippee - so much better than the time when we arrived in Miami many years ago when our suitcase came out on the carousel upside down with no bottom on it at all - just our personal items balanced precariously inside!

Once we had our luggage we had to take the elevator back up to level 2 then walk about 10 minutes to terminal E for the Miami Airport Hotel where we had a reservation - thank goodness - since when we arrived at 830pm they had big signs everywhere saying "SOLD OUT NO ROOMS AVAILABLE" quite fitting at this time of the year don't you think?!!  On the way to the hotel we passed a massive snaking long line and up above it said "REBOOKING _ MISSED CONNECTIONS".  There was a huge snow storm through the midwest yesterday with up to 19 inches of snow in some areas and over 1,000 flights were cancelled in the USA yesterday.  This same storm passed through BC and the West Coast over the last couple of days.  But not to worry we haven't said Goodbye to it yet - tomorrow they are forecasting freezing conditions in Miami although they are saying that storm and cold front is coming down from the North West.

We caught up on email using our "internet on the go" hot spot that we bought last year for the USA - and shared a sandwich from room service.  Even managed to watch the finale of Xfactor on TV before it was lights out and we crashed.  Considering that we are 3 hours ahead in Miami 11pm still felt like 11pm to us!  The rooms here are small but really quiet when you consider how many planes and passengers are coming and going.  They have been recently refurbished with a comfortable oversized easy chair and oversized round red leather ottoman to put your feet up on while watching the flat screen TV.

Friday Dec 21, 2012 Miami to Barbados

When the alarm went off at 6am we were both fast asleep, and struggled to come awake.  It was a good night's sleep even though we did wake up a couple of times - I think waking up at 2am in Vancouver the morning before had something to do with it!  The day started with Terry having a broken hearing aid - the last time this happened was exactly 12 months ago when we were in St Barts & St Maarten and there was no way to get this fixed until we arrived back in Sechelt.  Terry sent a quick email to Linda in Sechelt, who will be joining us next week, but we are very doubtful that she can get any assistance from Terry's hearing aid supplier in Sechelt before joining us - we can but hope!

We had breakfast at the Miami Airport Hotel in the 7th floor Top of the ? restaurant included with the room (eggs, ham, hash browns and toast with coffee) and then went downstairs to checkin - back to terminal D for international flights.  Then the fun started.  First we had to line up to check ourselves in - lots of people having significant difficulty doing this, some machines not working and an American Airlines personnel would eventually appear to help.  After checking ourselves in and declaring how many bags we had we then had to go to another line at the end of the bank of "self service" machines and line up to have our bags weighed (max 50 pound each ) and tagged.  Then  we went to another very long line - at least 50 passengers - to drop off our tagged bags!  

While in "drop bags" line, another set back - the conveyor belt stopped working!  So the next 20 or so passengers were told to drop their checked bags in front of the counter - and two old shrunken grey haired men (at least in their 70's) came tottering out from behind the door where the conveyor belt normally disappears with your precious bags. These two chaps started pulling the bags with handles and wheels back behind the two swinging doors - this was not a very speedy operation but no problem, a supervisor then appears and tells us to "follow him" with our bags.  So we followed as if he was the Pied Piper and we walked IN A LINE for another hundred yards to the very end of the conveyor belt for the next bank of checkin counters!  He took our bags and threw them on to the conveyor belt just as it disappeared under the flapping plastic as I looked at our bags, I turned to Terry and  said "it's too bad I didn't have my camera out to take a photo since I am not sure we will ever see those bags again!"

SANTA ON THE BEACH AT OISTINS, BARBADOS

One observation this morning is that there are banks of American Airlines counters with NO ONE at them, not AA staff and not passengers!  All the passengers are milling around in long lines, 20 feet back from the AA counters, in a very unorganized fashion trying to figure out what to do and where to go - unbelievably amazing how the airlines have put all the checkin responsibility back on to the passengers who simply don't know what to do - this was total chaos this morning!!!!

Then it was off to the SECURITY line (yes it was a very long line) - no problems - we stripped naked, placed everything on the conveyor belt and walked through the Xray machine which did NOT buzz!  OK OK we weren't quite naked!  On the other side (we have now spent the last 60 minutes in lines) we go two flights up and catch the SKY TRAIN to gate D43 for our 1005am flight to Barbados.  While on the SkyTrain a complete flight crew of 5 including the PILOT get off at the wrong station!!! and then run back into our carriage.  I am pretty sure they will be our flight crew today and miss the turn off in the sky for Barbados!

At gate D43 there is an announcement that the flight is "over sold" and they are looking for 8 passengers to voluntarily NOT fly to Barbados and they will each receive $800 voucher for a future flight - no, that would not be us offering to do that!  Then as instructed we all line up to board the flight - then an announcement tells us to sit back down - the pilot has called the Maintenance department!  The flight is expected to be delayed by 15 minutes.  

About 45 minutes after scheduled departure we are boarded and waiting to depart.  The Pilot tells us that the brakes have been fixed, but that one passenger has not boarded and they are now looking for the "needle in the proverbial haystack" looking for the one checked bag of that passenger so that they can take it off the plane so that we can leave!  We eventually leave about 50 minutes behind schedule for the 3 hour 8 minute 1600 mile flight.  We lost 2 hours in our time zone  between Vancouver and Dallas, 1 hour between Dallas and Miami, and 1 more hour today between Miami and  Barbados.  So we are now 4 hours ahead of Vancouver time and scheduled to arrive in Barbados around 3:10pm.  The sky is blue over the Caribbean Sea with white clouds dotted everywhere.  The forecast for Barbados is 29 degrees with some rain showers in the area.

VIEW FROM OUR ROOM, HILTON HOTEL BARBADOS

Barbados is as far South East as you can go on the edge of the Caribbean Sea - essentially the same latitude as Nicaragua and just north of the islands of Trinidad & Tobago, and Venezuela, South America.  My first vacation to Barbados was in 1973 when I lived in Toronto ( a non stop flight was much easier than from the West Coast of Canada). We love the island and have been back 4 times since then.  Barbados was originally governed by the British but is now an independent country but still part of the British Commonwealth.  It is very clean and safe with the most beautiful white fine talcum powder sandy beaches and aquamarine ocean - but more conservative than many of the Caribbean Islands.  This time when in Barbados after arriving one night early "just in case we had travel problems getting there on time!"  we will board the 148 passenger Wind Spirit tomorrow (the Windstar Cruiseline) and spend 7 days cruising the southern Caribbean islands of St Vincent & The Grenadines - we can't wait!                                                                                                                                        

Terry is already fast asleep in the seat next to me (no surprise there!) so I am enjoying the views out the window of the blue seas below and the Turks & Caicos islands, and I am already picturing swimming on Mullins Beach and my first rum punch ............ 

We arrived at the Grantley Adams airport in Barbados at 310pm - and after completing the immigration forms, were quickly processed into the country - quite a change from last time we arrived two years ago in December 2010 when there were several large jets all arrived at the same time and the lineup was long and slow, especially as many folks were given priority for entry and we never could figure out why!  We picked up a bottle of Barbados Mount Gay rum for under $10 at the duty free store before we exited outside into the very warm and humid temperatures.  As we landed we could see quite a lot of rain cloud around but at least it wasn't raining!

We had reserved half a car at STOUTE's Car rental which is a few yards outside the arrival baggage exit doors.  I say half a car since Terry had booked a KIA something or other - as soon as the rental clerk said KIA I knew it wasn't going to be a large car!

We drop the car off tomorrow at the cruise ship terminal when we check on to the Wind Spirit.  As we flew in this afternoon we flew over the cruise ship terminal and were amazed to see 6 cruise ships (4 large and 2 smaller) plus a ship with sails which is probably the Wind Spirit since we will be on the first sailing after the Wind Spirit comes out of dry dock and a major refit.  But we were amazed to see 6 ships - Barbados is so far South it is quite unusual to see that number of cruise ships here.

Anyway - our luggage fit into the back seat of the KIA and our two carryon bags fit into the 6 inches classified as the trunk!  We decided to stop in OISTIN's town on the way - Friday night is fish fry night each week, a major event with hundreds of folks coming for fish and chips from all over Barbados.  We were early arriving around 430 but we enjoyed  excellent dolphin (Bajan for Mahi Mahi) and chips with macaroni and green salad along with Banks beer and rum and coke sitting at a blue picnic bench.  There are perhaps 30 restaurants here but we bought ours from De Red Snapper (we did pass up the "BELLY HURT HIDE AWAY ROTI SHOP" that we drove past on the way to Oistins!)

We visited with the locals, we played with 4 year old Mark - hide and seek with his hands and feet wearing a New York jacket approximately the right size for a 16 year old!  I must say that Bajan's (what folks from Barbados are called) are very friendly, always have a ready smile.  They speak English - but it's fast and like a pidgin English and trying to understand it is mostly impossible for me - even after asking folks to repeat something 3 times!

Then it was a drive along the coast road past The Gap in St Lawrence (a happening place especially on the weekends with lots of bars and restaurants, and a small harbour where we almost got dumped from a very small dive boat back in the 1980's).  We were booked into the Hilton at Lighthouse Point for one night - this is very close to the main town of Bridgetown.  (Terry had stayed here once before around 1969). It was dark when we arrived around 630pm and all the Christmas lights were lit on all the palm trees trunks, and the banisters and railings - very effective. This is obviously the hotel where all the airlines' crew are put up overnight - lots of them in uniform in the lobby.

There are two towers with rooms and our room 565 is in the Fort Tower overlooking the remains of historic St Ann's Fort at Needham point with its' many cannons still in place here from when it guarded the entrance to Bridgetown and Carlysle Bay. Our room looks South East over the ocean and below us is a very large free form swimming pool, bar and beautiful beach with lots of sun cots.  The grounds are quite large and we enjoyed wandering around and enjoying the humid warm night under the stars.  This is the weekend before Christmas and there are several parties under way for local businesses, some of them quite large, so lots of happy people about enjoying the season.

The rooms are very nice - tile floors, large bathrooms, updated linens, flat screen TV, mini fridge and coffee making supplies.  Considering the age of the hotel it feels very contemporary.  There is also internet available at $26 per day in the room, and free WIFI in the downstairs lobby.  We had trouble getting access in the room and imagine my surprise when I was transferred to the IT department - I was connected to a French Canadian in Calgary Alberta Canada - Jeanne Marie!!  

We sat on our deck enjoying a night cap before going to bed - are we really here?  You bet and we plan to enjoy every moment!!!!

HONG KONG TO VANCOUVER - NOV 3, 2012

NOV 3, 2012  TIME TO GO HOME
HONG KONG TO VANCOUVER
coming soon ******