Yesterday was the first day of spring and we are still in St Lucia.  Normally we would be making our way back toward Antigua to enjoy the festivities of the Classic Yacht Regatta and to prepare for Brenda’s return home and springtime in New England.  However, everything has been canceled, flights, social events and islands are locking down and not allowing yachts to check in.  In some cases cruisers have been pointedly asked to leave and anchorages closed.

However, virus and lethal pandemics aside, it’s a beautiful morning and given the spectacular sunrise, you’d never know just how unsettled things are in the world.And, a beautiful view of the nearby mountains.  The fact is that things are really heating up in the US, with a reported 40% increase in virus cases in just one day.  And, yesterday the State Department said something like “Come home now or plan to stay where you are for the indefinite future!”  Not very helpful for anyone who’s on a “slow boat to, well, somewhere…”

We could certainly just ditch Pandora and fly home but it’s beginning to feel like this whole thing could take a year or more to sort through and the idea of leaving her in Trinidad when things are becoming chaotic, doesn’t seem like a good idea to us.

Of course, the massive overnight increase in cases in the US is, in part, because of much delayed testing, and late warnings from the administration about how dangerous things are.  Nobody really knows what the death rate will be and for those in the 60+ age bracket, like us, for example, it’s higher than for those who aren’t so “mature”.   For years, I have been quite happy to be in the over 50 crowd because I was quite excited about our retired years but now being older is a liability and that new reality is taking some getting used to.

I’ll admit that I have mixed emotions about where we are as on the one hand, I’d like to be home where we could be helping out with Rob and Kandice and our three grandchildren.   However, here, we are pretty safe with only very modest evidence of infection.  We’d love to be able to help out with Rob and Kandice as they are in the healthcare business, supplying testing materials and equipment, and  have been very busy.  Kandice’s mother Pat, in her 70s, watches the kids during the day, she is also being pressed to put in more hours at the grocery store where she works to deal with the “hoarding hoards” that are swamping the store.

Instead of being able to lend a hand, here we are hunkered down in a marina,  thousands of miles from home afraid to leave and give up our spot for fear that we won’t be able to return and yet not being sure where to head.

All of the islands in the Caribbean have implemented various forms of restrictions with the hope of slowing the outbreak of the virus in their country as it has done elsewhere in the world.  And, that’s a worthy effort given the fact that, as just one example, Antigua has only three ventilators in the whole country.  Think about that for a moment…

The Salty Dawg Sailing Association, a group that I work with as a board member, has taken the lead in sending out updates, much of which is reported on Noonsite, that serves the cruising community,  about what’s going on in the Caribbean, islands are open and those that are closed.   It’s amazing that it was only about three months ago that the virus first made it’s appearance in China and now has so quickly spread to nearly every country on earth.

As so many nations have become much more nationalistic, BREXIT, Trump, etc, I am hoping that this epidemic will help leaders understand just how interconnected we are and that to withdraw from the world community just isn’t realistic.

Cruiser friends of ours decided a few days ago to head to Grenada to have their boat hauled for the summer.  They sailed overnight to reach there before midnight on Wednesday to beat the deadline for a 14 day quarantine that went into effect yesterday.  They wrote to say that in a single day, prior to the deadline, 50 boats cleared into the island, a huge number by any measure.

Here’s the list of who’s open and who’s not as of yesterday.

These countries are now closed to visiting yachts.  St. Martin, St. Barts, Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Lucia, Mustique, Trinidad & Tobago, Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, Statia, British Virgin Islands, Dominican Republic, Anguilla,  Saba.

And, for those who are considering a straight offshore run to the NE US, Bermuda has a 14 day quarantine (so if you are planning a stop there plan on a long one)  And, you had better hope that nobody on board is harboring the virus when you begin a ten day run to New England.  To get sick at sea, a half week or more from help if you have to bail out along the way, is a scary thought.

While still open, other islands are adding restrictions to entry.  For example,
Antigua has a single port of entry, St John, where cruise ships normally dock.  Friends of ours that arrived there a few days ago spent much of the day getting through customs and immigration, 6 hours standing in line.

Grenada has only two entry points and Turks & Caicos will not allow entry if you have been to St. Martin as that islands has, for the moment, the most confirmed cases in the Caribbean.

In most cases yachts on passage are still able to anchor most anywhere as long as they don’t go ashore.  However, that may change as it has in Les Saintes, part of Guadaloupe, where local law enforcement has told all visiting yachts to leave the port and go elsewhere.

Marinas along the US coast have begun to close to vessels returning from other countries.  Given the increased restrictions on anchoring in the SE US, anyone entering the US will have few places to anchor, US citizens or not.  Even Puerto Rico is in lock-down mode, marinas are closed and they are considering a full travel ban.

So, all of this leaves us wondering what we will do to get home and where to leave Pandora.  At this point, we are focused on trying to find a way to get back to CT with Pandora but how to do that and as getting crew is unlikely, we want to do what we can to make the run as easy as possible and avoid passage legs of more than a few days at a time so that we remain close to help, such as that might be, if we need to bail for health or mechanical reasons.

Meanwhile, I am continuing to address any issues that will keep Pandora from being ready to head out as needed, beginning with some small projects like re-bedding fittings on deck to fix tiny leaks and the major addition of our new fridge.  As the new unit is much larger than the old one, the old unit on the left and new on the right.  There was no way that I was going to be able to install the new fridge to the left of the watermaker so the watermaker was moved to the other side of the workshop.   This is how it was prior to the move.
Thanks to Brenda for suggesting that I move the unit there.  It’s not completely installed yet but is getting close.   A working watermaker will be critical if we can’t go ashore for the next few weeks at least. The installation of the new fridge unit only took a few hours under the able guidance of our refrigeration tech, Prudent.  Now I know why he came so highly recommended by other cruisers.  Although, I’ll admit that seeing an “open flame” as he soldered the pipes did give me pause for thought.  Here we are, with the new fridge purring away and using much less electricity than the last one.  It’s a very nice piece of equipment, even if it did take three months to get to u.  However, now it’s all done and was worth the wait.What’s next?  It seems that after two weeks of back and forth we have decided to head for the American Virgin Islands where we will likely hook up with other cruisers heading to the US on what will likely be billed as a “flotilla” of cruisers with the support of the Salty Dawg Sailing Association, a group that I serve on the board of and act as port officer for our fall rally to Antigua.

The plan will be to help cruisers who are US Citizens bring their boats back to the US with a minimum of fuss.  Volunteers with Salty Dawg will work hard to smooth our return process with local officials, US Coast Guard and perhaps senators, where appropriate.

Today, I’ll tackle the last bits of installation on the watermaker, another trip to the bank to get cash to pay for all of this and more provisioning for what may very well be several weeks on the hook and underway with no hope of resupplying.

And, to make it feel, sort of, like normal aboard, I was able to get fresh tropical flowers yesterday.  Our little flower and herb garden.  And yes, we think we have enough toilet paper.  At least we think we do.  No, better check…

Well, I’m optimistic that we will figure all this out and make our way home.  At least we have a plan even if it’s likely to change along the way.

That’s me.  Hope springs eternal…

Or as Brenda once said, “Bob and the Dog, Ever Hopeful.”

 

As everyone knows, during a Zombie Apocalypse, the best place to be is on a boat.  Not only are you isolated from just about everyone but Zombies can not swim.

However, not to spread “fake news”, but the apocalypse we are facing is the Caronavirus and an administration struggling with the question of what to do next to keep us safe.

Cruisers are generally a healthy lot and we rarely run into anyone who is sick.  Over the seven winter seasons that we have been afloat, the only sickness Brenda and I have faced has been from bugs caught from family and on flights during a stateside visit.

There are bugs that are unique to the Caribbean such as Dengue Fever, which one of our friends caught earlier in the season.  Fortunately, this disease generally isn’t life threatening but it can be very uncomfortable and lay up a sufferer for weeks.

Back in the day when sugar was king in these parts and the European powers were battling it out out for control of the islands of the West Indies, disease was rampant with tens of thousands loosing their lives from myriad diseases including  yellow fever, malaria and often, thanks, in part, to those boiled wool uniforms that the British wore, heat stroke.  It is said that as many as 50,000 British troops died in Antigua alone and that to this day, after a storm, bones still wash up on Galleon beach near the entrance of English Harbor where so many were buried.

Today the islands of the eastern Caribbean are generally safe from those scourges and to visit them doesn’t require any special preventative vaccines.

However, this year, as Coronavirus rages it’s way around the world, Brenda and I have found ourselves in an unsettling position, not sure if we should try to cut short our season and head home to the US or to extend our time here and wait to see what happens.

They say that one of the best ways to protect yourself from infection is “social distancing” and it surely seems that being on a boat with hundreds of feet between you and the next anchored boat is a good way to stay safe.   While we are currently in a marina we are still a lot farther from the next person than we’d be, in just one example, on a NYC subway during rush hour.

With all of the uncertainty, staying in touch with family and friends is particularly important and the good news is that making calls, getting email and keeping up on the news is easier than ever and our best year yet with our Google Fi phone that provides virtually unlimited data and phone calls.  While the speed of the service is slower than high speed cable, as long as we are in cell range, we are almost always in contact.  And, to that point, cell coverage in the islands is far better than at home given the fact that the towers are located on the top of high mountains and as long as we are within about 10 miles from shore, we are connected.  I wish that was the case at our home in CT where cell coverage is poor.

In past years we have relied on phone service and data from TMobile but that service remains quite slow and is often not strong enough on some of the islands to even make calls.   Today, with our Google Fi phone, we nearly always have access to data and calling the US is a snap as we can make totally free international calls to any phone using the Google app Hangouts.

Hangouts is wonderful and the connections are clear, unlike Skype which we used for many years but worked only sometimes and often dropped calls.  Another feature of Hangouts is that the person that you are calling doesn’t have to have the app installed on their phone and calls, local and long distance, are always free.  Prior to Hangouts, we used, and still do, WhatsApp but that service must be installed on both ends of the call.

So while our “social distance” is a lot better than it would be in the US, we are still being careful and we make a point to avoid anyone who looks like they have recently been on a plane or, God forbid, a cruise ship.   You know, tourists who are wearing new white sneakers, have a pasty complexion, camera hung over their neck, fanny pack and a fresh sunburn?   And, with fellow cruisers we no longer hug or shake hands although “elbow bumps” haven’t been a big part of our greetings so far.

And, speaking of contagions, while there are only a handful of confirmed cases in the Caribbean, and one reported here in St Lucia, all of the local stores are sold out of anything that even remotely resembles hand sanitizer.  Good luck buying Isopropyl alcohol although some very strong local rums that are  85% alcohol can probably be re-purposed as a sanitizer if it’s not made into a rum punch first.

All of this means that we really don’t know what we will do next, leave Pandora in Trinidad or take her back to CT for the summer?   So, for the moment we are here in the marina, waiting for the arrival of our new refrigeration compressor unit and monitoring the spread of the virus.

And, speaking of our fridge, I haven’t spoken about this for some time but when we returned to Pandora on New Year’s Eve, we discovered that our refrigeration was showing signs of failure and it was time to either get new parts for the current system or to yank it out and put in something else.  While there are other systems on Pandora that are more critical, like the main engine, navigation plotters or perhaps most importantly, the autopilot, refrigeration looms large as something that we’d prefer not to live without.  A room temperature rum punch just wouldn’t do.

After a few techs visited us we learned that it was only a matter of time until our fridge would be totally dead so I arranged an order to replace the compressor and electronics from a supplier in the US.

The problem is that the vendor didn’t stock a 24v unit and had to order parts and put a custom unit together as a special order.  At first he told me that it was going to be about six weeks before he would be in a position to ship out the unit but it seemed that every week and missed deadline had him pushing out the ship date yet another week.

Eventually, he said that he “felt very confident” that he would be able to ship on February 24th, more than two weeks ago.  After that, “radio silence” and finally a message that the unit would finally ship after a series of missed deadlines.

He blew by that and other deadlines but the good news is that on Friday, two days ago, I finally received a note from FedEx confirming that the unit had been shipped and that it will be arriving here in on Tuesday evening.  That’s very good news but I’ll admit that the urgency of having perfectly functioning refrigeration is fading a bit when put up against the looming threat of the Coronavirus as it makes it’s way, wreaking havoc, around the world.

Of course, as we sit here in the sunny Caribbean, an area that has been relatively isolated from the virus so far, with only few cases scattered here and there, we are beginning to wonder if we will be able to bring Pandora home or if we will have to make other arrangements and run her south to Trinidad for the hurricane season and fly home from there.

And, the question of, will we be able to get a flight home at all, has added a mix of uncertainty and anxiety to the situation and put us in a position that we never would have imagined just a few weeks ago.  Additionally, some of the islands have added very strict rules and reporting before you are able to check in.   For example, Panama, not on our itinerary, has instituted a mandatory two week quarantine on your boat before you will be allowed to go ashore.  Trinidad now requires a detailed list of health questions and landfalls made over the last few months, submitted 72 hours prior to arrival, before they will decide if you can check in at all.

And, as we sit here, relatively isolated from crowds, it seems that perhaps we are better off in this out-of-the-way place, than if we were in the more heavily populated NY-Boston area.   Tourism has all but dried up and the islands are no longer allowing cruise ships to dock at all.

I spoke with one of my delivery crew a few days ago and he remains committed to coming down to make the trip home with me but did mention that he was wondering if flights south to Antigua, where we plan on leaving from, might be canceled.  Or worse, that we would somehow be denied entry into the US once we arrived.

In any event, I guess that we will just have to sit here and wait to see how things unfold and hope that the current administration can find a way to calm things down and project a sense that they know what to do, if anyone does.

For now, hunkering down, with a nod to social distancing,  in paradise.  Not a bad view of Pandora in her slip. And, all of this brings me back to the question of where is the best place to be during a Zombie Apocalypse or, in this case, an outbreak of Coronavirus.  So, with that in mind, I decided to do a bit of research and here is what I found.

According to the definitive website Zombie-Guide,  lucky for us, they say that a boat is the safest place to be during an apocalypse so I’ll close with this bit of advice from them.

“Boats and ships can make a great escape vessel in case of any emergency. Most important however is that you train your crew before SHTF and for ALL supplies to be packed and ready at all times. An added bonus here is that your emergency vessel becomes a holiday home and every vacation is a prepping experience that combines your vacation with crucial training. Learning how to fish and cook in the wild are now fun and a vacation activity, while still teaching valuable lessons in case of an emergency. During these vacations you’ll already find out what items you missed, so you can pack them for the next trip. My only real concern with boats and ships though, is that you’ll be vulnerable. Make sure you pack guns and plenty of ammo and have at least one big caliber gun on board to pack a punch. You may check this Daniel Defense Firearms for sale online for different kinds of firearms and accessories. Also, learn how to fix the engine…”

But, I didn’t stop there and checked out YouTube to see what other experts had to say about boats and Apocalyptic events.    This is one video in a series of “where to ride out a zombie apocalypse”, covering such locations as a mall, office building roof etc…  It seems that indeed, boats are the #1 recommended place.  So there you have it, in the event of a Zombie Apocalypse or viral outbreak, boats are a pretty good place to practice “social distancing” and Pandora, beyond being a great place to spend time when it’s cold up north, may prove to be a great hedge against threats from Zombies and rampant virus attacks.

I sure hope I’m right.  So far, we haven’t seen a single zombie.

As I write this we are tied up in the Rodney Bay Marina, St Lucia where we plan to stay for about ten days while we wait for our new fridge compressor to arrive and be installed.  Wish us luck as it’s supposed to ship FedEx tomorrow, Monday.  Fingers crossed as he has blown by prior deadlines.

It’s been a long and winding road, waiting for the unit to ship.  Part of the problem is that the company that made our system, Glacier Bay, went of business more than ten years ago so I am only able to get replacement parts from a small company in CA that purchased the rights to the products and now sort of makes them to order, in a garage I suspect give the fact that it’s taken more than 6 weeks since I ordered it, for them to finally ship.

Getting parts for boats in the islands is notoriously difficult as anything sent has to go via something like International FedEx or by ship in a container and then, once arrived, cleared through a local agent.  In the case of St Lucia, at least there isn’t duty to pay as the parts I have ordered are going to a “yacht in transit”.

Some islands, like Grenada, apply extra import duty but St Lucia and many other islands understand that boats are portable and can go elsewhere if they are competitive and don’t apply extra fees to things shipped in for boats that are transient.

So, the latest news has our unit shipping, all 40 lbs of it, on Monday and I am told that it will arrive here on the island on Wednesday or Thursday.   The next step in the process will be for the local agent to clear the package which I am told, from the “horses mouth” that this will happen quickly, in a day or two.  Once it’s here, I have an installer lined up who seems to be very responsive so I am hopeful that we will have everything resolved by the end of next weekend.

The good news about the “waiting part” is that marinas in the Caribbean can be quite reasonable, in this case, the weekly rate per foot is something like $.75/ft per day with the weekly rate at buy-a-week and only pay for 6 days.  And, it gets better as with a week you get three bonus days at no charge, which works out to about $25 a day for our ten day stay.

Of course, water and electric are extra and can really add up.  However, all and all a day on the dock here is about 1/4 of the cost of tying up to a mooring in Nantucket and here we are on a dock and a nice one at that.

And, even though it’s inexpensive, it’s a really nice marina with beautiful floating docks. Here’s Pandora all snug and tied up.Just about everywhere we go we are approached by locals who offer to do work on our boat.  Here I hired a guy, one of many that approached me, to clean Pandora from top to bottom.  A key part of this was to polish the stainless, which had gotten a bit dingy and spotty over the last few months.

When I was in Antigua I hired someone to clean her and we agreed to a price of $250US for a job that took nearly two full days which was still a good deal.   However, here in St Lucia, rates are even lower and I was able to get the job done for half of that price and he even supplied some of the cleaning products himself.  He’s a very nice gay and spent all day yesterday working hard and today showed up with a helper to finish the job.  Again, he was here for much of the day.

Now Pandora is really clean and all the stainless sparkles.   He was even able to get some stubborn over-spray paint off of the bowsprit that was left there when the boat was painted in the US.  The guy in Antigua couldn’t get it off but somehow he did.  And, the anchor, after so much time in the water had become very discolored.  Not now.And speaking of the paint job.  My new paint took a turn for the worse when a young couple ran into me with a small Hobie catamaran from the nearby Sandals resort out in the bay, where we anchored the first night when we arrived in St Lucia.  It was quite windy and they lost control of the boat as they raced along near Pandora.  In spite of my fending them off twice, they finally rammed me and put some nasty scrapes on the aft port quarter that will have to be repaired when I get home. Those who need service parts may consider visiting sites like https://coastalyachtmanagement.com/service-parts/ to get high-quality boat parts. And those who are looking for an exceptional boat storage facility may consider Shadow Storage. Moreover, those who need exceptional protection for their boats may consider wrapping solutions from shrink wrap services.

Fortunately, the water sports manager at the Sandals resort was very diligent in helping me quickly file a claim.  Within a day he had hired a surveyor to assess the damage and two days later saw to it that I was paid.  After only three days all of this was done and the couple send money to us to cover the damage via Venmo, a total of $1,400, not a trifling amount.

I felt badly for the young couple but with may new paint job, I hated to have scratches so am glad that they were willing to cover the damage.  Had they put up a fight, I doubt that I would have been able to find a way to enforce the claim.  So, one more thing to address when I get home.

Perhaps it’s time for me to learn how to repair scratches as hardly a year goes by without a new one or two.  In anticipation of getting scratches, I had Pandora painted with Alexseal specifically because it’s supposedly somewhat easier to repair than other harder paints.  Details to come on that score, I guess.

I can tell you that things could have easily been worse.  One of the boats that we have been cruising with had major engine problems about a week ago and are now waiting in Martinique for a new engine to be installed.  Another is making plans to limp back to Trinidad to get a crack in their hull fixed.  They tangled with a piece of floating line, while towing the boat that lost their engine, and the tangled line wrenched their prop shaft and cracked the hull.  Now they can’t use their engine and had to be towed to anchor in Martinique by me and a friend with our dinks. Once we arrived where he wanted to anchor, we both backed down to set his anchor.   Cruisers helping cruisers and boat repair for yet another in exotic places. Setting aside the inevitable damage, 0ne of the fun parts of cruising is seeing friends along the way, some new and some from prior years.    This season we have been buddy-boating with a number of couples and in particular, Bill and Maureen on Kalunamoo, who we first met on our initial trip down the Intra Coastal Waterway our first year out in 2012.

Kalunamoo is here in the marina across from us.   They are also here for boat repair in exotic places.  In this case, to their engine, hopefully beginning tomorrow. It’s pretty amazing that everywhere we go there is someone we know.    This is a photo of the group that we were with for several weeks.  We had the gang over for drinks on our last night kin Martinique before everyone headed their own way.    And when we aren’t hanging out with friends, it’s, you guessed it, boat repair in exotic places as I have also been tackling a number of other smaller projects. I’m  chipping away at the list and still have a few more to go.  However, we have plenty of time as we expect to stay here in the marina for the rest of the week and their is a great ship’s store in the marina.

Perhaps when I have a break from, y0u guessed it, boat repair, we will rent a car and tour the island with Bill and Maureen.  Tuesday looks like a good day.

So, for now, it’s what it always is, boat repair in exotic places.  I sure hope that the compressor ships tomorrow so we can get on with this and find a new place to fix things.  Of course, it’s only a matter of time till something else breaks.

We are in St-Anne Martinique at the southern end of the island, where we arrived a few days ago.  It’s a lovely spot, a charming little town with long sandy beaches and more cruising boats than you can count.  And, nearby is La Marin, home of the largest, if not the largest, marina in the Caribbean, with access to most anything that you might need for the boat.

It’s quite quiet, St-Anne, a welcome break from the craziness of Forte de France, the constant ferry traffic and the noise of Carnival.

We stayed for much of Carnival but decided to skip the last day even though we likely missed the biggest parade of the four day celebration.  However, the third day of celebration, “the day of the devil” was crazy enough with thousands participating in the parade and perhaps even more spectators, nearly all dressed in red.Each day had a different theme and some participating in the parade showed up with a different costume on each time.  This guy was one of the most elaborate and was clearly enjoying himself, mugging it up for the crowd. This was him the day before.  And yes, he knew then that he was fabulous then as well.Not to be outdone, this was also quite the get-up. And, from the back, making his best impression on the day of the devil.  Oh, you devil, you!

A high point for many participating in the parade was to coat themselves from head to tow with cane syrup, mixed with ashes, a slimy gooey mixture.  You could smell them coming.  I can only imagine how nasty they must have felt in the heat and humidity.  Earlier in the afternoon, near the beach coating each other from buckets and liberal use of paintbrushes.  If it were me, I’d have hightailed it to the beach to wash off after only a few minutes. The parades, and each day had it’s own theme, was louder and louder with huge crowds lining the route.  The procession of revelers went on and on for hours with some groups coming by time and time again.  I doubt that this car has much use outside of Carnival. This rolling “boom box” was just one of many vehicles piled high with speakers,  all louder than the last.  And where there is noise, responsible parents do their best to protect the little ones. “Mommy?  Is that man hurt?  No honey, he’s just channeling the devil.” Amazingly, in spite of the throngs, there is very little police presence and unlike the good old USofA where there would be ambulances and firetrucks along with heavily armed troops everywhere, here it was just thousands of people having fun with a minimum of mayhem.

And the fun they were having,  drink in hand.  Of course, you do have to stay hydrated. No getting face cramps for trying to smile for hours.
There was also an endless “parade” of spectators dressed for the occasion.  I asked if I could take a photo of them. They where thrilled and agreed provided that I took a photo of them with their camera as well.   For my money he was a more convincing as a woman than she was as a guy.  Perhaps it was her glasses that gave it away.  Or was it the vinyl bikini top?  Hard to say.  Funny how both women and guys want to dress up as a woman and yet, not generally the other way around.  “Honey can I wear your jeans?  You know, the ones that you wear half falling down below your waist?”  Not likely. “OMG dad, did you see that?”Again and again the “cane sugar crowd” would pass by.  You could always smell them coming.  “Hugs, anyone?  Hugs? “And speaking of hot and sticky, I wonder how it feels to be inside this.Or this. Real wigs?  Only their hairdressers know for sure. “Does this dress make me look fat Charles?”  Only when you aren’t smiling so just shut up and have another beer.”  Do you think they talked that morning before they got dressed?  What to wear?  What indeed!
Love the hat. Here kitty, kitty, and a matching purse.  Perfect. Some political statements about pesticide use. “Yes Mom, I’ll be home soon, I promise.  Just out picking up a few groceries.”
This woman would move along a few meters with others in her group and then stop to strike a pose.  Something about clay.Daddy,  can I march in the parade next year?I just love face painting.  There were a lot of elaborate costumes, day after day.  It’s amazing what you can do with a bit of chiffon and devil horns. Colors from every part of the rainbow. And pink, red and pink. And, of course, what’s better than a guy in drag with horns.What is a parade without stilts.  I’ll bet that the view from up there was terrific. Loved her headdress.  However, nobody had quite the “stage presence” as this woman.  Let’s call her the “Budwiser girl of Martinique”.  That’s a LOT, LOT of bottle caps and pull tops.
These guys were into the moment and came by multiple times.  If it’s worth parading once, it’s worth doing it again.  Besides, wasn’t it once said that “these  boots were made for walking…”I liked this little guy the best.  However, I doubt that he will wear this costume when he’s a teenager.  Perhaps then he will be in drag just like the rest of his friends and probably his dad.   Bumble bee or not, I’ll bet he’s a bit of a devil himself. Yes, he was having a blast, just like everyone else at this most amazing party.

Carnival,  Martinique.

After a few days in St Pierre in the shadow of Mt Pele, our first stop in Martinique, we moved down to Fort de France, the capital.  This is one of our favorite stops where we anchor in a historic harbor sandwiched between a Napoleonic era fort to one side…And a modern city on the other.  Big city or not, the view in the distance is a constant reminder that we are still in the tropics with distant mountains shrouded in clouds and mist. The harbor is busy and very rolly during the day with a constant stream of ferry boats leaving big wakes and cruise ships, sometimes 5 a day, coming and going. Yesterday was the first day of carnival, a four day festival of parades and fun that runs though next Wednesday.  The fun begins each afternoon at 4:00 and continues well into the we hours with near constant drumming and firecracker detonations late into the night.

The parade, which passed us three times, began with what looked like, I guess,  some sort of nod to native Americans. This lady was clearly not a newcomer to such events and knew that she was indeed “looking marvelous”. Not sure what this costume was all about, very elaborate and festooned with  with coconuts. This one was, well, I’m not sure but it was, but it was very elaborate. And an enthusiastic group with REALLY LOUD drumming. Many of the children in the group sported these hats.  What were they all about?  I have no idea. This young woman was clearly having a great time. Spectators, many decorated with face paint, lined the route.
But this guy was perhaps the winner.   Of course, he, like everyone else, had his smartphone.  No pockets I guess. There was something about going in drag was a common theme.  What is it about guys and bikinis?  I’ll have to ask Brenda what she thinks.  A g-string and feather boa?  Is it me?

Not sure where the stuffed giraffe fit in.  I guess you had to be there to see the connection, such as it was. Umbrellas were clearly a theme for this large and LOUD group. The noise of this VERY enthusiastic drummer set off Brenda’s Apple watch alert that she was being exposed to damaging noise in excess of 90db.Clearly feeling the beat, this particularly well put together lady was clearly enjoying herself and posed every few feet for photographers. This young lady seemed a bit insecure in her costume.  Her “get-up”, like many of the others, was so heavy that it had wheels to help her along as well as an “escort” to give her a shove when she was hung up on rough pavement.  Her costume looked vaguely sinister.  Perhaps a rain forest queen?This young woman carried herself in style, never letting her radiant smile fade for even an instant, well perhaps not until she passed us for the third time. This photo of a mother and daughter pretty much sums up what it was like to be there.  I can’t wait till tonight to see what is in store.
And, with all the fun in town the harbor is getting crowded as more cruisers arrive each day.    This is what I woke up to this morning after the wind shifted direction over night.  And yes, they were as close as that.   They were a nice couple from Denmark, taking time off from work to cruise with their two children.   Can I borrow a bit of Grey Poupon?  It’s great sport, watching newcomers look for a spot to anchor and it seems that there is always, sort of, room for one more.

“Dad, I see a spot, over there!”It’s pretty clear that the people of Martinique really know how to put on a party. Brenda and I can’t wait to see what tonight will bring.

It is, after all, party time and the folks in Martinique really know how to put on a party!