We have made it to Bequia, part of St Vincent and the Grenadines. we left Granada on Monday, the 15th with plans for an early start. first we wanted to top off our fuel so we called the marina just at opening. There was already one boat at the dock and another waiting. We told them we would hang out and to call us when our turn came up. An hour and a half later we were called. No idea what that boat had been doing. Once at the dock we topped off the diesel and refilled the gasoline jerry jugs and were ready to go. It was now 11:00 am. So much for an early start. We motored out of the bay, turned downwind and put out the headsail, we were a sailboat again. We sailed down to the point and turned north. At this point we needed more sail so we put up the mizzen. This gave us more speed but as we started to get into the wind shadow of island we had to hoist the main. The winds were right off of the nose so we were beating into the waves and pinching into the wind. Not the most comfortable point of sail. After about ten miles we started to lose the wind and fired up the motor. After a couple of hours the engine started to act up. It was like it was being starved for fuel. The wind had come up some so we shut down the engine and continued to sail but not on a direct line. It was becoming obvious we were not going to make our destination, Carriacou, before sunset so we opted for plan B and motored slowly to Ronda Island and a small bay there. By motoring slowly we were able to keep the motor running. There was one other boat in the bay and after two tries we were securely anchored for the night. It turned out to be a very rolly night. In the morning I changed the fuel filter thinking that may be the problem. Off we went under sail again for Carriacou. We arrived in time for lunch then went ashore to check out of the country. Rather then stay the night in Tyrell Bay we chose to move around the other side of the island to get an early start. We picked up a mooring ball at the park at Sandy Island and went ashore to enjoy the beach. By morning no one had come by to collect the mooring fee so we raised the sails and sailed off at 7:00 am. We were again not able to run a direct line to the harbor but continued on as best we could. At one point when the winds got over 20 knots we had to stop and reef in the main to get better control of the boat. When we reached the halfway point we opted to start motoring the direct line, against the winds again. After several hours the engine started to act up again, it was evidently not a filter issue. I tied making a fuel diversion system to feed from a jerry can instead of the main tank but was missing one important part. We continued to sail making several tacks to get us close to the harbor then took our chances of motoring slowly until we chose a spot to anchor. Once again we got the anchor down before sunset.
In the morning we went ashore and met with Customs and Immigration and we are now officially in the county. We took the opportunity to walk around and see the immediate sites and pick up a few vegetables at the vegetable market. After a quick lunch we made a visit to a marine supply store to check if they had the parts I think I needs or the fuel system. Then it was back to the boat to rest.
All of these days just sitting while we traveled from island to island had pinched a nerve in my hip and I was having a hard time walking or sitting comfortably. By Friday morning it was much worse and I decided to see someone for help.
Thus begins my first experience with out to the US medical care. We chose a doctor that was advertised in the tourist guide and made our way to his office. His office was in a side room of his art gallery. He is a very good artist. The office consisted of an examination table a desk two chairs a stool and a small cabinet and the walls were covered in artwork. He is French but spoke passable English and I speak no French. I explained my problem several times, he checked my pulse and poked at the site of the pain. That was the complete examination. Then he pulls out several drawers and starts sorting through a variety of drugs. He finally settles on a pain pill that he poured into a zip lock bag and a muscle relaxant that he put into another zip lock. He apologized for not having enough of the other drug but gave me a prescription to have filled. This was the first time either of us wrote something down and he spelled my name wrong. He added the dosage instructions and we were done. No paperwork had been filled out by either of us. I asked how much I owed him for the visit and drugs and he replied “$100 EC or about $37 US. Off I limped to the pharmacy and after getting a weeks worth of Prednisolone and paying $8.40 EC or $3.10 US we were back to the boat. His advice was to go to bed and stay off the leg for several days. He also mentioned losing some weight. Quite a difference from seeing a doctor in the US.
I used the days laying around to run the generator and make water and read. The main reason we came up to Bequai was to attend the music festival. I rested all day then in the evenings went to the different performances. It was a very good time with a wide variety of music from many of the islands and from the States. The performances started at either 8:00 or 9:00 in the evenings so it made for some late nights for us. Fortunately I had been taking a lot of naps. On the second night we ran into our friends Ricardo and Signe who we had met last year in the BVI. They are back this year from France with their new boat, and what a boat it is.
We were able to watch the Vikings game at one of the bars but it didn’t turn out the way we had hoped. Cori has been out exploring some of the island while I have been layed up, she has an idea of what to do and where to go when I am up and about which should be any day now.
We plan on staying in the area for about a month visiting the various islands before checking out and moving north again.
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