You’d think we would get tired of these islands but we don't.  There is just too 
much to see and too many places to go.  Plus, so much of it can be done over and 
over and yet never grows old.  This particular trip is even more interesting 
because we would be sailing with two complete newcomers to both sailing and the 
Caribbean.  Our new victims, Ravi and Balwant, were not sailors but with a bit of 
enthusiasm we figured they would enjoy it.  We would also be buddy-boating some 
of the time with Vickie and Bruce who were with us in the spring of 2004.

The trip started with a relatively easy one-stop flight from LAX to Hewanorra 
airport in Vieux Fort, St. Lucia.  After a short taxi ride from the airport, we 
were ready for an overnight stay at the beautiful Fox Grove Inn.  If you like a 
pretty, small hotel with a wonderful view from your own balcony, then the Fox 
Grove may be what you want.

We also enjoyed their restaurant, and Esther (the owner), makes excellent 
Rummers.

Although we only planned to stay one night, we ended up staying for two because 
Hurricane Emily closed the airport in St. Vincent.  A hurricane delay on the 
first leg of our trip was not a good sign and more than a bit unnerving to our new crew.

On To St. Vincent

Upon arrival in St. Vincent, Balwant and Ravi went to the Beachcomber’s Hotel 
for the night.  Kristin and I went to Barefoot’s base to get the boat ready, and 
there we found our friends, Vickie and Bruce, who were chartering a Beneteau 445 
named Freedom Quest.  Here they were, signed up for a month of sailing in de 
ilons, and during their first days, Barefoot called them back to the base because 
of a hurricane.  In spite of it all, they were in good spirits and enjoying the 
Surfside Restaurant.  In fact, they were pretty much into the spirits when we 
found them.  A good evening followed and several more Rummers helped us plan the 
next few weeks.

We Do The Circuit

The crew of Silk Pajamas (Balwant, Ravi, Kristin and Terry) left the next day 
for Bequia.  Bruce and Vickie would stay in the Blue Lagoon for another day 
waiting for their crew, daughter Kim and friend Stephanie, to arrive.  We had a 
beautiful sail to Bequia and at this point, Ravi was thinking maybe this 
wouldn’t be too bad.  We had lunch at the Gingerbread and that night we watched a great sunset while drinking wine in the cockpit.  It does not get any better.

The next day we were off to the Tobago Cays.  Balwant and Ravi loved the place 
the minute they arrived.  Who wouldn’t love this place when it is just perfect? 
When planning this trip, we told our new crew that they would rarely wear shoes 
and probably never while on the boat.  While they thought that silly at first, 
Balwant and Ravi got used to being barefoot pretty quickly.

Ravi and Balwant also tried to make Sydney a rich man by spending a bunch of 
money on T-shirts and hats. It’s no mystery why our friend Sydney always smiles 
when he sees us sail in with guests.

We did have some foul weather come through the Cays and that turned out to be 
pretty exciting.  Balwant and Ravi were over by Baradel Island playing around in 
the water when a very dark squall approached.  I was adjusting something so put 
off picking them up just a bit too long.  As I reached them with the dinghy, the 
winds were whistling and we were all being sandblasted by an airborne beach.  We 
were head-over-heels into the dinghy and then I nearly blew up that 5 HP 
outboard trying to get back to Silk Pajamas.  Some of the boats were having 
anchoring problems during the squall so I stayed on deck, donned a snorkeling 
mask, and started the engine just in case.  After it was over, I talked with some 
experienced local sailors who thought the winds hit about 70 knots.  Our anchor 
chain was bar-tight during the worst of it but fortunately, Balwant and Ravi did 
not fully understand the situation.  They thought it was a lot of fun.  The next 
night we had dinner on board with the crew of Freedom Quest.  It was just another 
beautiful evening in paradise.  We also did some snorkeling and stayed for a 
couple more days.

They Only Had A Week and So, It’s Back To Bequia We Go

Since Ravi and Balwant had not sailed before, they weren’t sure if they would 
like it and when planning the trip had decided they would only stay for a week.  
As the time to leave got closer, it was clear that they regretted that decision. 
I’ve always felt that we need to be in the islands for at least a week slowing 
down before we are able to fully appreciate this environment.  Anyway, we had a 
great sail back to Bequia and obviously I was doing most of the steering.  And by 
this time, they had pretty much forgotten what their shoes looked like.

We were eventually joined in Bequia by the crew of Freedom Quest. For those who 
hadn't been before, there was a visit to the turtle farm.  Following that, we all 
had a great dinner at the Frangipani.

The next day Kim, Stephanie, Ravi and Balwant would board the ferry to St. 
Vincent and from there, it was back home for them.  The rest of us, Bruce and 
Vickie on Freedom Quest, and Kristin and Terry on Silk Pajamas, were heading to 
St. Lucia.

An Uneventful Trip To The Pitons

We sailed up to Wallilabou, spent the night, and then the next morning headed 
off to the Pitons.  We had a splendid sail with smooth seas, kept flat by a 
west-going current.  We were able to make the Pitons by heading as high as 
possible for the entire crossing. The views of the Pitons were just as beautiful 
as we remembered.

We spent some of the time snorkeling around Petit Piton and thought the region 
along the south side was the best.  The biggest threat here is that the boat 
vendors and water taxis get too close to shore as they round that Piton.  For 
instance, when we went to town and back using a water taxi, as we rounded the 
Piton, our driver hit a rock with his propeller.  He seemed to think we should 
give him extra money for that but we resisted the temptation.  If you are 
snorkeling, watch out for these guys!  We dragged our dinghy behind us while 
snorkeling to make sure they saw us.

Up to Rodney Bay

Since we had done all of this before, we felt like old hands.  When we got to 
Rodney Bay, we decided to go into the marina.  We spent a couple of days there 
because Kristin felt like she might be getting an ear infection and we didn’t 
want to take any chances.  We hung out in the marina and Bruce and Vickie went to 
anchor out by Pigeon Island.  They only stayed at Pigeon one night as there were 
swells coming into the bay, and the boat was bouncing a lot.  They came into the 
lagoon area and anchored for the night.  We managed to do a fair amount of 
exploring in spite of lots of rain.  Kristin and I wanted to see some of the 
hotels in the area as the next trip to St. Lucia, her parents planned to join 
us.

Back Down To The Pitons And Beyond

At this point, the crews of Silk Pajamas and Freedom Quest were only loosely 
headed in the same direction.  Bruce and Vickie left before us and grabbed a 
mooring ball along the coast.  We later saw them as we headed back down to the 
Pitons.  It was still very bumpy with a southerly swell.  We were a bit nervous 
about the conditions at the Pitons but went on anyway.  We grabbed a mooring over 
by Bang and it seemed like the swells were diminishing, so we stayed.  A couple 
of hours later, Freedom Quest arrived.  Their anchorage had become too rocky so 
they decided to try the Pitons again.  During the night, the swells went down and 
by early morning Freedom Quest left, with us some time behind them.  At this 
point, we weren’t sure if we would be together again but soon enough both boats 
met again in Bequia.

We Lose Track Of Time

After a few days goofing off in Bequia, Bruce and Vickie were ready to leave.  We 
also thought that a last day at the Cays would be great so we headed out 
together.  It was bumpy.  The swells were big and confused, and while the winds 
were strong enough to sail, the trip was really becoming quite unpleasant.  We 
discussed turning back because we didn’t think we had much time anyway.  

Somehow during the past couple of weeks, Kristin and I had decided that we were supposed to leave St. Vincent on a Monday.  So, here we were, on a Friday, getting beat up on the way to the Cays.  It wasn’t fun and we were here for fun.  We looked at each other and while focused on that Monday departure, we decided that the 
beating wasn’t really worth it for just one night at the Cays.  We couldn’t stay 
longer because we needed at least a whole day and preferably more in the Blue 
Lagoon to get our stuff off the boat and talk business with Barefoot.  So, about 
a third of the way to Canouan, we called Freedom Quest and reluctantly said 
goodbye to two good friends.  We went back to Admiralty Bay for another night. On 
Saturday, we called Kristin’s daughter to remind her to pick us up on Monday. 
She responded by telling us that the calendar said we would be returning on 
Tuesday. We assured her that she was an airhead but then checked our tickets and 
found out that she had it right.  We were a day off.  The mind goes after a while. 

Well, it was back to the Blue Lagoon to take our stuff off the boat, and then go 
home.  Hey, another successful trip.

Where Are They Now?

Ravi and Balwant have signed on for another sail in Silk Pajamas!  And they still 
don’t like to wear shoes.

We decided to take Silk Pajamas out of the Barefoot charter fleet.  Starting in 
the spring of 2006, one or both of us will be sailing Silk Pajamas ourselves in the 
Caribbean, for months at a time.  We will miss our good friends at Barefoot Yacht 
Charters as our time with them has been great.  However, it is time for some 
serious sailing. 

Oh wait, did I say serious?