Dinner aboard Bees Knees yesterday evening was very tasty. Jim cooked a “Caribbean Stew” which went down very well \u2013 both servings. We chucked back a few beers \/ wine \/ rums depending on taste and preferred sequence before heading back to Dignity and falling asleep quite quickly. The rain that had begun just after we returned from Castries never really let up so in retrospect we were particularly lucky to get the weather window we did.<\/p>\n

This morning it was up early for boat chores. I wanted to put the single network cable in place for my mast mounted wifi box to replace the joined cable that was taped temporarily to the outside of the mast. I also wanted to insulate the metal fittings of the antenna box from the strut it was attached to. In the end I was up the mast for over an hour.<\/p>\n

The first job was to send my fish wire down inside the mast for Helen to retrieve at the bottom. This took less time than I feared. Helen then taped the network cable to the end of the fish wire and I pulled it up inside the mast and out through the hole that was made for the radar cable by Eddie back in St Martin last December. Having done this bit, I lowered the fish wire to Helen who untied it from my line and attached my tool bag which I raised. Then it was a matter of loosening the attachments, taping the strut, reattaching the antenna box, connecting the network cable, insulating that, taping it to the strut and finally protecting the cables as they entered the mast.<\/p>\n

While I was up the mast, Helen finished off the work fixing the starboard trampoline. That worked well as she was around to respond to any needs I had \u2013 like being let down \u2013 which is kind of important.<\/p>\n

Back down on the boat I had to remove the temporary cables and run the rest of the 50ft cable through the gooseneck and into the salon. I have been testing the new cable today and it is definitely better than the last. It is also safer as it is now inside the mast rather than being on the outside and vulnerable to wind or being caught on something.<\/p>\n

I managed to get this all ready in time for a 10am call to the US which had no quality issues at all as far as I could tell. All well worth the effort.<\/p>\n

<\/a>This afternoon we rejoined Anne and Jim to climb the small hills of Pigeon Island and explore the old fortifications. We did this last month with our guests but that didn’t diminish a repeat visit.<\/p>\n

This time we explored more of the area surrounding the hills. In fact we were forced to because this time we were told to go to the entrance and pay to explore the area. We got to see where they hold weddings looking out to sea to the north. In the foreground is Burgot Rock and off in the distance, Martinique can be seen on clear days as we could today. Very pretty.<\/p>\n

<\/a>We then climbed to the fort on the western hill. From there we saw the pirate ship which takes tourists up and down the coast. I understand it is the one used in Pirates of the Caribbean and if I believe what I googled it was also used in Roots.<\/p>\n

We heard some loud shots and it transpired they were acting out a little ship to shore battle. We were unimpressed by the chap with the canon just below us as he threw up the white flag after just two shots.<\/p>\n

We then wondered over to the other hill, took some pics and descended down to where we’d left the dinghy. With all the hard climbing in the heat of day we needed some refreshment so it was off to Dignity for a beer before parting ways.<\/p>\n

Looking ahead we’ve agreed to climb at least one of the Pitons together. Anne and Jim need to visit a few of the places down the coast we’ve already been to. We’re still trying to arrange for a rendezvous with the CatCo tech for our chip upgrade. Looks like we’re getting there but it’s not sorted out yet. One way or the other we’ll work this out.<\/p>\n

Turns out Bees Knees quite independently chose to summer in Grenada as well. Anne, who is a nurse, will be working in Maine for the summer but Jim will be around. They’re also thinking about heading west and through the canal next season. Who knows, we could end up going about the same time.<\/p>\n