We’re up and moving and getting ready to go sailing. We’re scheduled to meet our instructor at 9:30 and get ready to go. Lots to do.
We meet Stephen (Toronto lawyer employed by government but on work leave at the moment), Colby (restaurant owner by summer, travelling sports enthusiast and surfer dude by winter from Maine) – our two companions who are taking the American version of the training and our instructor Ian Joseph.
The cat – Willow Dew (do willows have dew?) – a Lagoon 39 – is getting loaded as we get our PFDs, snorkel gear and personal stuff on board. Chalkie gives us the run down of the boat and Ian does the safety briefing. The boat has an oil leak on one side but the mechanic fixes it pretty fast so that is comforting. Fridge and freezer on board so cold beer is in our future.
Soon enough we’re underway. Sails up in the little Blue Lagoon Bay and heading southwest for Bequia, a short 1.5 – 2 hour sail away. The weather is perfect and we make about 5-6 kts and arrive Bequia easy peasy.
Christy and I honeymooned in Bequia almost 25 years ago and the place has changed a bit. Not a ton though, since they don’t have running water there is a limit to how big it can get. Lotsa sailboats (50+) anchored in the harbor which we wouldn’t have seen then.
We hit downtown (ha!) first for cash, some seasick pills for Colby and Stephen (unsuccessful, we are too late for the pharmacy) and some other stuff.
One shop vendor (perhaps the only unscrupulous person we meet) rips us off on a bottle of warm wine and tries to keep $10 out of the change. Colby and I laugh as Christy springs into action when she finds the same bottle chilled next door fo$10 less.
Dinner ashore at Jack’s is fun and pretty much the same meal in terms of quality and price we will expect everywhere for the rest of the trip. There are two other boats here from Barefoot – a monohull also doing training and a charter with a father, his son and girlfriend and his daughter and her girlfriend. That’s 3 New York female 20-somethings, it’s Friday night in the islands and they are (a) clearly intent on partying and (b) very interested in Colby (even the girlfriend of the son). They’ve just come from the floating bar in the harbor and are headed for “Panty Panties” – a mangling of the true name – “Frangipani’s”. Colby resists and we’re all in bed at a reasonable time. Christy and I have the double berth on the starboard side of the cat. Pretty comfy and never hot.
