Lingering in port

After a brisk passage (25 NM in less than 4 hours, anchor up to anchor down), we dropped anchor in Rodney on May 7 in front of the beach and an unbelievably loud DJ concert that was underway there.  We had happened upon the main weekend of the St Lucia Jazz and Arts Festival.  This is a lively week-long event that everybody gets in on.  There is a series of concerts with ticket prices up to US$80 at the main stage on Pigeon Island adjacent to the Rodney Bay anchorage.  But there are also dozens of free music events in Rodney Bay and Castries at hotels, shopping centers, public squares, etc., that draw good sized crowds of happy St Lucians, cruisers, tourists, Martiniquans and other islanders. Everywhere you go, discs are spinning, bands are setting up or performing, and people are walking or standing with a smile on their face and a little shimmy in their hips.

We enjoyed several of these, and also bought tickets for the Sunday afternoon / evening show at Pigeon Island.  We had attended this in 2013, where we had the privilege of hearing the great Diana Ross in concert.  This year the bill included slightly lesser, but interesting, names (notably, the Commodores and Maxwell). 

the Barrel O Beef in Rodney Bay, with tropical wave in background

Meanwhile, we had moved into slip E25 at Rodney Bay Marina on May 8 to clean up the boat a little and to see Regis for some post-installation consultation on our instruments (including the depth sounder) and a new starter battery.  Cappuccino and boat maintenance was the theme of the 3 days leading up to the Sunday concert.  At the same time, the edge of the first tropical wave of the season was moving through.  This had the beneficial effect of making it breezier than usual in the marina, and providing a number of helpful rain-water rinses of the exterior of Raconteur.  Vision caught up to us soon after our arrival (we think he has a sixth sense about JP's presence in the marina), so he and Mischana took on the job of washing and waxing the exterior and cleaning the stainless.  JP and Susan cleaned the interior and made yet another field revision to the bimini (maybe this time it will not come unsnapped and flap wildly when underway).  Vincent of Regis came by to hook up the new starter battery, adjust the depth sounder for the difference between the waterline and the transponder, and "trick" the autopilot into letting us recalibrate the compass angle.  We also replenished our protein, fruits-and-veggies, and flip flops.

On Sunday (May 11), conditions were a still a bit brisk in the marina, so we decided against the 3 mile round trip to Pigeon Island in the dinghy (with the return in the dark), and took a water taxi instead.  

the flamboyants were in bloom on Pigeon Island

We arrived about 1 pm (concert start 2 pm) and had a drink at a little cafe on the island called Jambe de Bois (wooden leg) before entering.  

 Inside, we made a round of all the booths, and emerged with some chicken wings, pork curry and rum for our lunch and, from the many tempting local crafts, coconut-shell spoons like those we had eaten with at Moses' Rastaurant on Dominica.  The festival atmosphere was a delight.









Once settled on our tarp and boat cushions, we really enjoyed the show, some of which had to be viewed through umbrellas, as the tropical wave dropped intermittent drizzles on us throughout the evening.  Highlights for us were Monty Alexander, a Jamaican jazz pianist, and the Grammy award-winning neo-soul singer-songwriter Maxwell.  
 

superb jazz pianist Monty Alexander through umbrellas

The Commodores were fun to see and hear, but musically had declined a bit since their prime.  

The Commodores put on quite a show

At about 11 pm we realized we were both micro-sleeping, so we staggered down to the dock and snagged a water taxi for the trip back. 

The next day (May 12), we finally untied from the dock and headed out to the Rodney Bay anchorage, lured by the possibility of swimming and the need to stop paying daily marina slip rates.  And we can still come back in the dinghy for cappuccino if withdrawal symptoms become too intense. 

An hour later, S/V Receta anchored next to us, and we had a very nice time getting back together with Ann and Steve, talking about our respective adventures. The anchorage is a great place to meet new and old friends, and we were invited to join a party on S/V Nirvana, then went to a delicious group dinner at Spice of India.

On board S/V Nirvana with Ann of S/V Receta and Jack of
M/V Tusen Takk