Never Close Your Eyes

Today I woke up in beautiful Saint Lucia. Night sailing is starting to become a way of life here on board Ryen's Quest. Actually, night sailing is quite calming. I am at my calmest when dreaming about other things. Back to Saint Lucia. We arrived early morning and were tied along side before noon. Allan did all of his running around with customs and immigration. There is a tremendous amount of running around to do when you are the captain of a vessel. I am happy to be crew. The last 70 hours have started to show on Al's face. Maybe tonight he can rest easy and sleep, knowing the boat is secure. That may be him I hear snoring in the back cabin now.

Rodney Bay is undergoing a major overhaul. The marina is top of the line, accommodating boats and mega yachts. They have both 220 and 110 electrical, which means we get air conditioning for the next few days. There is laundry, groceries, banking, eateries, gas, water, plus they added a jazz festival which starts on Sunday. At least we won't smell bad if we go to any of the jazz events.

We have been in St Lucia for a week, and without a doubt this is by far my favourite island. We have met a lot of nice people, and yesterday Allan and I went on an island tour with a couple from Washington state. They are also taking their yacht to Trinidad. Our tour guide, Jonas, was a terrific fellow, has seven children and fifteen grandchildren. We drove through lots of little fishing villages, the island's mini rain forest, a drive in volcano and got a chance to swim in the waterfalls. Well, I didn't swim, I just watched. The island has a diverse economy, from the very poor, to the very, very rich. We had lunch in a small little place and tried local cuisine. Chicken Roti, which is potato, chicken, and curry spices all wrapped up in a soft tortilla shell. Our hostess/cook, and proprietor was Cynthia. She was delighted to have us in her place, but I am still not convinced that she charged us enough.