Man-O-War Bay is a lovely anchorage and Charlotteville is one of our favourite places in the islands. Check it out on Google Earth at 11-19.8N 060-33.2W.
We hired a driver to transport us to the trailhead of our Rain Forest Hike. Too far to walk to the trailhead and the bus doesn't go that way.
The rain forest hike with guide Shurland James (contact her on her cell 868-294-3740) is always spectacular. Of course, we were rained upon (that's why they have a rain forest), but the beauty of the forest and it's inhabitants more than made up for walking in rain and mud.
Shurland (aka “Eagle Eye”) points out so many interesting features that we would have missed if hiking without her. How could we ever find the burrow of the trap door spider?
On the other hand, the nests of the leaf-cutter ants are obvious from the bits of freshly cut foliage scattered about. They drop their load and scurry away when it starts to rain.
Only an expert guide could have explained the biology of the ground honeybee. What an amazing nest they make in the clay bank!
The waterfalls are coloured by the mineral-bearing strata over which they flow.
Charlotteville has a wonderful fish market, right on the waterfront. The Yahoo steaks were off our charcoal grill less than an hour after we bought the fish direct from the fisherman. Lobster was available direct from the trap puller.
However, we do fear that all may not be right with the fishery. It appears to us that the average size of landed Yahoo, Tuna and Marlin has been decreasing over the last several years that we have been stopping here. Not a scientific sample, but worrisome if true.
Catherine got her hair braided here again on Kaleisha's front porch. It is a cool hair style, in both meanings.
There are many choices of eatery in Charlotteville. We enjoyed Jaba's, Kosa's, Marilyn's, the Beach Club, Sharon and Phebe's, and Clarence's for an interesting variety of excellent local foods. But the most fun was Lyda's.
She has been operating her one table restaurant and bar for 38 years in the same small building on the waterfront. She is cook, waitress, bartender, dishwasher and just interesting.
Catherine enjoyed a cooking lesson from Lyda. Together they prepared our lunch. It was an East Indian dish called Buss Up Shut (it looks like a “busted up shirt”). Besides the “bake” there is chicken, channa, potato, stewed green mango, carrot, celery, tomato, split peas, pumpkin and onions spiced with shadow benny, thyme, brown sugar, peppers, garlic, green and hot pepper sauce, curry and garam masala.
The waterfront and the adjacent main street are the centres of action in Charlotteville. The local fishing piroques land their catch on the beach and the fish cleaning/selling co-op is just across the street. Nets are piled on the beach and in the almond trees, but most of the fishing is by trolling skirt lures with hand lines.
Fortunately, just by chance we were there for the first annual Charlotteville Piroque Fest, held on the beach. There were surf fishing contest, sand castle contest, row boat race, raft race, greased pole climb, piroque races, loud music, wet t-shirt contest, food and drink. The weather was perfect and the enthusiasm of the community was infectious.
There are several local walking paths. One leads up to the site of Fort Cambleton with spectacular views of the bay and a most delightful hammock in the shade; perfect for recuperating the day after the Piroque Fest.
Pirate's Bay has a pristine uninhabited beach a short walk from “downtown”. Peter lost his hat in the surf there, and formed a turban from his shirt to protect his bald head from the sun. Kosa declared him “The Muslim”.
On Dec 10 we sailed away from Charlotteville, with just the two of us aboard. We had perfect conditions for the 320 nm sail to Iles des Saintes, Guadeloupe. There was a magnificent 6 hr spinnaker run on the second day of the three day passage, with the sea so calm Catherine could fiddle in the shade on the foredeck.
Our next blog will report on our layover at Iles des Saintes. A bientot.
“It is an error to suppose that you have tasted huckleberries who never plucked them.” Henry David Thoreau, 1854.
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