A Quick Pitstop…
A Hint of the Mythical Green Flash
Sheep Transport in Castries..
From Anse La Rey, we dropped into Marigot Bay for lunch. The usual slick teamwork when anchoring took a dip when there was a loud rattle and the full 50m of chain and about 10m of rope was dumped on the seabed in a flash. Something of overkill for 8m depth, it called for some muttering under the breath and heaving to get it back under control.
Later in the day, we motored round to Castries, and anchored off Vigie Creek. This is very close to the berthing for the cruise liners, but despite this is a little hideaway with a gem of a waterside restaurant. The Coal Pot is named after a historic traditional means of cooking food. However the food (almost entirely fresh seafood) is superb and the setting is very romantic.
Mooring there also allowed us to make another attempt to attend church. After the previous weeks failure due to duff information, we decided to go for the earlier of the 2 services (0600 rather than 0730), and dinghied across to the market dock. However we then found the street gates were still locked at this hour, and had to climb over the (spiked) fence. Going to church here requires determination!
The last week has been something of a ‘time out’ with me having to do a pit-stop at the local hospital. Having had a minor bit of surgery in November, (a week before we flew back to the boat), and despite all the precautions taken, the problem reappeared. So it was necessary to repeat the op and take even more care this time. By coincidence, the surgeon here trained with the one in Coventry who did the previous procedure! Oh, and all the doctors are NHS trained…………..
The recovery room has a great outlook, being 2 floors above where this was taken from!
The care was excellent and we had a few days in the Coco Palm hotel for recuperation. A lovely place with good facilities and really nice staff.
Anyway, after 40 days of abstinence for Lent, alcohol, chocolate, biscuits, cake and tea are back on the menu for me, and coffee and chocolate are for Annemarie! Now to avoid putting those pitiful pounds back on…..
Just back from a truly amazing and joyous Easter Day service in Castries. Such a warm welcome from everyone there, music supported by the St Lucia Police Band together with a brilliant organist and all presided over by the Canon, a Barbadian who has been in Holy Trinity church for more than 30 years! A servivice that lasted for over 2 hours, but passed in minutes!
Lastly, I would mention the ‘green flash’. This near-mythical observation takes place at the exact moment the sun drops below the horizon when it is very clear. Very momentary, many deny its existence altogether, but it is true that the refraction does make for a brief green light. The photo tries to reproduce that moment, but fails to just capture the nanosecond of clear green. Never mind, one day…..
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