Day 9, Back at sea

On our way north to Road Town, Tortola, BVI. Had brekkie, then popped up to the sun deck to chill. Finding a sun bed on this sailing day is like trying to find a space on a beach full of elephant seals. That's not the only similarity either!

Luckily, we are happy to use a hammock and the big round wicker chairs, so we found somewhere. On the horizon was a dark cloud, which was obviously depositing some rain. This should be entertaining, I thought.

It wasn't long before the rains arrived, quite hard too. Catherine and I sheltered in our basket chair, whilst the deck erupted in a flurry of flesh, as the seals sought shelter.

Within a couple of minutes the shower was gone and back came the red, white and brown bodies.

Catherine was reading in the hammock, whilst I listened to music in the chair, interspersed with some whale watching (nothing spotted) and some bird watching (the feathered kind), Gannets gliding up and down the side of the ship, before plunging into the sea in search of fish. Without music or the Gannets, I'd soon be bored. Lord knows how these seals, I mean people, can lay out in the sun hour after hour, slowly cooking. And when they aren't doing that, they are eating or drinking.

A Gannet. There were quite a few on board too!

Talking of eating, it will soon be time for lunch, then afternoon tea, then dinner, then supper, then......

It all blurs into one big food orgy for some, with the 24hr buffet!

Midday and 249 nautical miles to Tortola. 

After an afternoon chilling, we popped down for cream tea. Whilst we were sitting there, a couple of dolphins emerged from the water, leaping out about 4 times as we steamed passed. A similar location to last week's sighting.

Tonight was Gala night again but we didn't bother. It's more for newbies. We grabbed something in the buffet, then headed to the theatre for Vegas night!

Catherine managed to grab front row seats, which enables her to see what's going on. It's not bad for me either 😉

We followed the show, which was very good by the way, with a trip to the forward bar, for a banana colada nightcap.

It's now 11pm, so time for bed. When we wake up we'll be in Tortola.

Day 8, Bridgetown, Barbados

Back in Bridgetown, where we started the adventure on tbe 20th.

Trumpet fanfare. Today I have reached the ripe old age of three score years. Yes , 60 years old. And to celebrate, I have us booked on a submarine trip. Not the glass bottomed boat for us, no, a proper submersible. Down periscope!

First task of the day, open  my cards.  Thanks to everyone. 

We were down on dockside by 09:30. The cruise terminal is very nice, with lots of duty free shops. If you want emeralds or diamonds, this is the place. It also has free WiFi 😁

A minibus took about 14 of us about a mile to the Atlantis HQ, where we were met by one of the crew of the sub. We filled our name in on a form, for our certificate, then boarded a boat, to head a way out to sea. As we approached a small stationary boat, we were told to look out for a white shape in the water, as the sub, had not yet surfaced. Very soon, the sub rose to the surface and both the little boat and ours moored alongside.

Atlantis 15, our submarine

Some people got off and we then made our way down into the sub. As there were so few of us, we had to spread out, to even the weight but this meant we had one or two portholes each to look through.

Submarine selfie!

The dive lasted about 45 minutes, during which time we saw loads of fish, an environmental wreck and even a Razorback turtle. Maximum depth was 145ft. 

Maximum depth achieved

The commentary on board was excellent, with some of the corniest jokes you'll ever hear. Once back on the surface and back on the boat to take us back, we were given a rum punch. Nice! Back at HQ, we got our certificates, before returning to the ship. 

The excursion was brilliant, a real birthday treat and I would definitely recommend it to anyone with time to kill in Bridgetown. 

After lunch we walked to the beach, just the other side of Bridgetown centre. There we spent a couple of hours snorkelling with Catherine's all in one mask. It's brilliant and has opened up a new world to me. There were lots of smallish silver fish and some larger ones too, which was 100% more than Virgin Gordo. The sea was warm and the sand white and fine. Blooming lovely!

As we have the new arrivals today we shall be leaving port later, about 21:30. That just gives me time to go ashore and hook up to WiFi to post this.

Tomorrow we shall be at sea, as we head back to the British Virgin Islands; some 470 nautical away.

Until next time.

Day 7, Kingstown, St Vincent

14 knots per hour overnight brought us to Kingstown. The harbour area is surrounded by green hills with a sprinkling of houses and palm trees and the sound of steel drums floats on the morning air. This is the Caribbean I had in mind.

The walk from the quay is torturous, only because of the sheer number of taxi drivers touting your business for a tour of the island. We engage one or two but decline all. We have a walking tour planned. Obtaining a map , we are advised not to walk to the fort, up the hill. Not because of the distance, it's only a couple of miles but because the map doesn't show the roads and we may get lost! Really?

The seafront main street is vibrant and filled with friendly people. Every now and then a taxi stops to ask if we want a tour.

Passing KFC (no WiFi this time), we come across the police station, which dates from the 1770s. Catherine decided to pop in and ask about walking to the fort. Inside, you step back in time 200 years. An office with original stone walls and flooring  is accompanied by an iron gate which leads to the cells, with old style wooden doors. Catherine asks if they are still used. "Yes" comes the response from the desk sergeant, "I just let someone out this morning ".

We ask about the walk to the fort. He would advise against it. "There are some shady characters in that area, who will take your bag, sunglasses, everything. I wouldn't even walk there myself. Bus is $2".

We find the bus station. Though it is almost impossible to tell what is bus or private taxi, as all vehicles are Toyota minibuses. One guy says he'll take us to the fort for $20. We decline. A local points us in the direction of  the Bus. Guy wants $5 and waved us away when we said we were told $2. So we decided to abandon the idea and carry on our walk to the botanical gardens. 

$2 got us into the gardens. They are not huge but well laid out with some interesting trees, not least, the Cannonball Tree. 

Cannonball Tree flower.

We stopped occasionally in summer houses and chatted to other cruisers.

We came across two chaps knocking down coconuts with long bamboo poles. "What happens to them now" asked Catherine.  "We eat them" came the reply. He offered a small piece to taste, whilst his mate went to work with a machete. Next thing he hands one to us. OMG! the milk was fantastic. So sweet. Then he split it open and gave us 2 pieces of husk, to scoop the 'white' out with. I have only ever come across hard white coconut innards, not this soft creamy jelly. This was almost like a cooked egg white and again, beautifully sweet. Incredible, it was that tasty. We thanked them profusely and carried on to the parrot enclosure. The St Vincent  parrots are some of the most endangered birds on the planet, with only about 500 left in the wild. At the gardens, they are trying to breed them, to help maintain the species for future generations. 

From the gardens, we made our way back to the ship, had some lunch and chilled until sailing time. We watched the casting off, then as we were reversing, I spotted some whales in the bay just behind us. I just got my camera up, when the ship's horn sounded and the whales disappeared under the waves.  Damn!

Kingstown from the ship.

This is the last night of the cruise for many and tomorrow we will be back in Bridgetown, 96 nautical miles away. 

As it is my birthday (six oh) we have an excursion planned. More about that tomorrow though.

Bye for now.

Day 6, Pointe a Pitre, Guadeloupe

Yeay, this is French territory, so is included in my free roaming package. They use the euro and speak French, which I do find strange, this far from the motherland.

I'm wondering if our cabin steward made this deliberately. 

Guessing it is a frog!

There's not much to do in Pointe a Pitre, very little to see and what there is, is very shabby. Most people were on excursions but we grabbed a map and had a walk around the port.

It is festival time, so all the shops are shut. Also, festival doesn't start till 6pm, after we leave, which may account for there being only a handful of people around, they are all hungover maybe? 

As we wandered around, we saw some fishermen by the dock, cleaning their catch, came across the spice market (very pungent) and found the main church.

Colour in an otherwise bland Pointe a Pitre

The most interesting things were the colourful murals and a large lady sitting on a corner, smoking a 12" cigar! That was before we came across a massive museum on the harbourside. 

Looking like a football stadium and built with an EU grant, it was totally out of place with its surroundings. We didn't go in, it's carnival, so it was shut.

We set sail about 16:30. Don't think anyone was sorry to be leaving though. Someone said Marella are the only cruise line to come to Guadeloupe now. Shame but it really is a bit of a dump, in the city at least. 

We now have 183 nautical miles to go to our next destination, St Vincent. Till tomorrow then.

Day 5, St Kitts

Awoke to find we were docked in Basseterre, St Kitts. Another glorious morning, with a view of the bay.

As it was Catherine's birthday, we had our breakfast in our room, so we were able to lie in a bit too. Catherine opened her cards and already had them displayed by the time brekkie arrived, minus butter and plates. A quick call and that was rectified. 

Whilst Catherine was getting ready, I popped up top to see what was what. To my surprise, as I burst into the sunlight, I was confronted with the side of a massive ship. Closer inspection showed it to be, the only other cruise ship we have been on, namely P&O's Britannia. Our top deck didn't even reach to where the balcony cabins started on this massive beast. It doesn't seem so big when you are on it.

David & Goliath, a.k.a. Marella Celebration & P&O Brittania

Our Scenic Railway tour began at 11:30. We were bused to the train station (loose description), where we boarded the top deck of one of five very colourful carriages. The railway is 30" narrow gauge and pulled by a Romanian diesel engine. The train pulls you around two thirds of the island, up the east coast and through some lovely villages, countryside and along the Atlantic coast. The trip takes about 1h45m, during which a carriage attendant plies you with drinks, in my case three rum pina coladas!

Our scenic train carriage

Once the train ride was over , the bus that took us to the station, picked us up and took us back to the ship.

Catherine and I had a map of things to see in Basseterre, so we took to the streets. Luckily, they had a KFC, so not only was Catherine able to go to the loo but I was able to WiFi properly for the first time.

The place was heaving. It is the first KFC I have been to where a security guard stands guard at the door. Go figure.

We found the main attractions, which included St George's Church. A lovely looking church, I swear if it hadn't been for the palm trees, you would have thought it was in England. We went in and I climbed the clock tower.

From the clock tower, the cricket ground. 

Gradually we made our way back to the ship.

Before dinner, we watched Britannia depart, with people on both ships singing along to her loud pool disco. I recall how loud that was from our short time on her. Shortly after, we too left port, bound for Guadeloupe.

At dinner we sat with a couple from Petts Wood, about 40 minutes from us. They were a nice couple. On exiting the restaurant, there was the now regular chat with Slav, one of the catering top bods, this time about Buttergate! Once again he was apologetic but must secretly be getting fed up with us.

More tomorrow. 

Day 4, Virgin Gordo, BVI

Gorda is small, about 21 square kilometres. So small, that the ship dropped anchor in the bay and we had to tender to the shore. Another new experience.

We had brekkie and made our way to the gangway and boarded one of the four tenders in operation. We'd missed the early rush. As we alighted at the jetty in Spanish Town, we were eyed up by the local pelican population. They are funny looking birds.

From our research on Google maps, I had reckoned on The Baths, a beach with big granite boulders on it, being a 2 mile walk. No problem. In reality, it was a lot more. We walked some of the way, passed the island's only petrol station (I imagine), some shops, a school and even a football ground, before the blazing sun got the better of Catherine. Regular readers will know she has a low heat threshold. 

So we decided to abandon the walk and go for a swim instead. Along the way to the beach a lad on a bicycle was filming something on his phone, by the roadside. He pointed out a green Iguana to us. We'd seen some in Philipsburg yesterday but they weren't bright green like this one. I managed to get a photo before he disappeared into the undergrowth.

Green Iguana

At the beach we found a bit of shade and stripped off to go in the sea. It was a little rough and there was quite a rocky seabed but we had a good time splashing about and being wiped out by the occasional big wave. We even had a go with Catherine's snorkel mask but there was bugger all to see.

Marella Celebration moored off Virgin Gordo, from the beach

Once we'd  dried out a bit, we made our way back to the jetty and the tender. Back on board we had lunch and then a little snooze. The heat does tire you out and it was around 29 degrees today. 

This evening we had dinner and then went to see an old comedian in the theatre. His material was a bit dated but still, he was quite funny.

Tomorrow we shall be in St Kitts. We have an excursion on the scenic railway, which is apparently, the last working railway in the Caribbean.  Oh yes, and it happens to be Catherine's birthday.

Whilst we are on birthdays, happy birthday to my sister in law Claire, also on 24th.

Day 3, St Maarten - The rest

After the seabed walk, we indulged in a very strong rum punch and Catherine a snorkel session , whilst the 2nd group were under. Following that, we were deposited back at the cruise terminal. After freshening up and grabbing some food, we took a walk into Philipsburg.  This is everyone's favourite port apparently. It is renowned for its tax free jewellery and electronic equipment but I have to say, if you don't intend to shop or hit one of the beachfront bars, then there isn't much to see. There's an old courthouse worth a photo but that's about it. I guess the excitement lies to the north at Mayo Beach. That's where the jets come in to land at the airport a few feet above the beach. Had we not had the sea trek, I expect we would have gone there.

St Maarten's Court House

At dinner, the 'suits were there to greet Catherine and I, one showing us to our table himself. There's been no change to the menu yet though. 

We have a short journey of 87 miles tonight. Tomorrow we shall be waking at Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands. We have no excursion booked, so we'll be doing our own thing in Spanish Town. Till then.

Day 3, St Maarten - Sea Trek

At the end of a day and a half of cruising, we arrived this morning in Philipsburg, the Capital of the Dutch half of St Maarten. This was our first excursion day.

We had chosen to go on a Sea Trek. This involves us being taken by boat  (in heavy rain!) to a pontoon in the next harbour, where we were kitted out with one of these open diving helmets.

The helmet weighs about 75lbs and sits on your shoulders. To it, is attached an air hose. Once helmeted up, one descends a 20ft ladder to the seat bed. Not exactly the sea bed, as there is a 300ft track, with railings for you to follow.

12 people go at a time. We opted to go in the first batch. I think most people were a little apprehensive. 

The first guy to go up, never got any further than the ladder, as he couldn't get the helmet on comfortably, as he gad a big head. 1 down.

Catherine was on the ladder before me. She said the water was freezing. One of the crew helped aclimatise her by splashing her shoulders. She'd have sworn if I'd done that. Down she went.

My turn on the ladder. Water wasn't too bad but not as warm as I'd imagined. Helmet on and down. Stop to equalise. Down some more. Equalise. Down some more. Sea really rough. Hold on for a while to steady. Down and equalise twice more, whilst someone went up again. Catherine?

No sign of her on the walkway. Shame.

The divers lead you around the track, taking photos at points and feeding fish, so you have them swarming around your head, inches from your face. Brilliant. There's some wreckage around the track, cannons, a helicopter and even a shopping trolley; as well as natural rocks. 

At one point, Theo, one of the divers started making gestures to me.  I had no clue what he meant but when I turned around, there was Catherine. She'd made it, on her third attempt. 😀  She didn't look too happy but she later said it was because she was cold.

Eventually it was time to go up. For me this was the worst part. The divers grab you and thrust you towards the ladder, at which point the helmet tilted and water sloshed into my face, nose and mouth. Don't think I have ever had such salty seawater in my mouth before. Despite that, it was a brilliant experience and I'd recommend it to anyone who for whatever reason, doesn't like the idea of  'proper' diving. With this, there's no spitting into a mask and nothing going in your mouth. Sure you don't have the freedom of scuba diving and it's bit staged but you can breathe normally, can keep your glasses on and need not even get your hair wet. Not a worry for me obviously 😂

Catherine trying her new snorkel mask, after our Sea Trek

Sausagegate

The "issue" of Catherine not getting her veggie sausage, has escalated to the highest level, short of the Captain himself. By the time we had finished our gala dinner, 3 levels of catering manager had visited our table to apologise, including the head of all catering, a chap called Milan (possibly Czech or from one of the Baltic states). Luckily for the waiter concerned we didn't have a name, as the boss was keen to know who it was and offer him some additional training! 

The meal ended, with one of the restaurant managers asking Catherine what she'd like to see on the menu, so she was effectively thrust in to the role of veggie consultant! It will be interesting to see if any of her suggestions make the menu.

The staff have all been very apologetic and keen to ensure Catherine is happy. It's a bit embarrassing but very nice to see them taking it seriously. 

Needless to say, Catherine got her veggie sausage this morning. 

Watch this space.

Day 2

Our first sailing day. Bit of rain, actually quite heavy, as we left Bridgetown. Slept fairly well. Bit of a swell, which made having a pee in the night interesting. We are travelling at 11 knots, with 360 nautical miles to sail.

Awoke just after dawn, about 06:30 and were down for brekkie before 08:00. We decided on the waiter service restaurant, rather than the buffet. Selection good, unless you happen to be a vegetarian with a desire for veggie sausage. Catherine ended up having scrambled eggs on toast, after she'd stopped moaning. When we finished, Catherine wanted to know if it was just the waiter service restaurant that didn't have veggie sausage or the entire ship, so we went to the buffet. One of the chefs said they could offer the required protein and was surprised we hadn't been able to get it downstairs. As we left, he was explaining the problem to someone in a uniform, so I expect someone got a bollocking.

We found a space, on the crowded sun deck and chilled. Someone spotted some dolphins and there were also some flying fish. There were birds, possibly Frigates that followed the ship early on. One or two must have had a four foot wingspan. Big birds. Later, Gannets were the order of the day; diving into the blue waters.

We sat through a talk about where to buy jewellery in Philipsburg, then had a tour backstage, of the theatre, with three of the dance/singing troupe.

After that we chilled with a couple of beers by the pool and outdoor stage, listening to the ship band, before having some lunch.

To burn off some calories, we did about 8 laps of the promenade deck, 5 being a mile. There was another couple going in the opposite direction. We were faster and the guy commented to that effect. Yes!

This evening is Gala evening. We are first sitting, so eating about 18:15, after first having a chat from out Ukranian Captain. I'll be wearing my suit, that Catherine has no idea I have brought, though given the temperature, I'm not sure that is the best choice. 

Tomorrow we shall be going ashore in St Maarten. We have a Sea Trek booked for 10:00. More of that in Day 3.

Yeah! Towel art, courtesy of Ronaldo our cabin attendant. 

Arrived

Flight was on time and arrived on schedule. We were put on a bus by the aircraft and whisked straight to the ship. On boarding we we given our boarding cards and then made our way to our suite.

Our cases were to follow, so we popped out for a look around the ship, stopping for a drink, it's all inclusive, and a sit in the sun. On the way back to our cabin, we happened upon the buffet restaurant, so had a quick snack. I had a serve yourself beer too. It's only fosters but it's cold and wet. That was a pint and a half and I'd only been on board 90 minutes!

Back in the cabin it became apparent that we have the neighbours from he'll in the next cabin. Not one but two screaming kids, who when they are not screaming, are running up and down. What not. Already having black thoughts of "child overboard". Hoping they are only here for the week and not a fortnight.

Emergency muster drill due any time now.

We've been up 19 hours, so I expect sleep will soon follow.

So ends Day 1.

Don't Panic!

I thought 3.5 hours would be sufficient. I hadn't bargained however, for the crawling M20 and it taking 20 minutes to go one junction. After 50 minutes, we finally hit the M26 but with the M25 to come.

Unusually, the M25 was running freely but the M23 had the dreaded smart motorway roadworks. By this time, what had started out quite a chilled journey, was getting extremely stressful. 

At the car park, Catherine was pleading with the bus driver not to go, whilst I checked Nessa in. I was now confident we would make our flight in time, whilst Catherine's stress level was off the scale.

In the end, we made bag drop in good time but then had a shock when the board said flight delayed. Turned out, that was a different Bridgetown flight.

Panic over, we are now about to board.

Laters.

Totally Tropical

In 24 hours time, we should, hopefully, have just arrived in Barbados. Our flight leaves at 09:20 from Gatwick. It's an 8:40 flight time, so with a minus 4 hour time difference, we'll be arriving at 14:00. The ship sails at 21:30, so we'll have a bit of time to get acclimatised, before taking to the high seas. The next time we'll touch land, will be on Saturday, when we arrive in Philipsburg, St Maarten, the Dutch bit.

Friday night is the dress for dinner night. Catherine will look stunning I'm sure and I might even make an effort myself, though to be honest, I'm not that bothered about eating at the Captain's table. As we both have a birthday on board though, we might be able to wangle it. 😉

Hopefully I'll get some wifi to keep the blog ticking over but for now I'll leave you with a picture of Bridgetown, Barbados. That's your lot.

Library pic, Bridgetown, Barbados

One adventure after another

It's great being a granddad. Well it is whilst little (or not so little) James is still fairly static. Maybe it won't be so much fun when he's a bit older and scrambling about, with his old granddad trying to keep up. We popped over just after new year, to see him again and we got to spend a fair bit of time with him & Jen/Chris. We even managed to get in a walk/pram push, though the rain did its best to ruin that. James is definitely a baby who thrives on bodily contact. A grizzling baby in the pram, quickly turns to one asleep in your arms, almost as soon as you pick him up. My plan is to pop over again in March, to coincide with Jen's birthday. Before that though, Cath & I have another adventure, my 60th birthday cruise holiday.

James, a baby Gooner.

Yes, this time next week, I'll be finalising my packing, before on Thursday, we jet off to Barbados. Once there, we shall board the Marella Celebration, the smallest cruise ship in the TUI fleet. On board, we shall spend 2 weeks cruising the Caribbean, calling at St Maarten, The British Virgin Islands (twice), St Kitts, Guadeloupe, St Vincent, Antigua, Dominica, St Lucia and Grenada. We are both really looking forward to it and both will have a birthday on board.

On the 24th February, we shall celebrate Catherine's birthday in St Kitts. On my birthday, on the 27th, we'll be back in Barbados, the end of the first week. That would have been the day we flew home but what sort of birthday would that have been?, so I booked us on the back to back cruise, which stops at 5 different islands.

We've pre-booked a few excursions, about 5 in all I think but have also done plenty of planning, so we can get about by ourselves, on those islands we don't have a TUI trip booked. I shan't go into details now though. Assuming we can get free wifi from somewhere, then I'll try and blog as we go. The ship's internet is something extortionate, £8/£9 per day, with limited access around the ship, so I shan't be using that. You might just have to wait till I get back home, to catch up with everything we've been up to.

That's all for now.

Marella Celebration