So… elaborate….

Before the rally becomes nothing but a foggy memory

It may really become nothing but a foggy memory

Before it all becomes nothing but a foggy memory in a new year… Here is what has transpired since my carnival wanderings in Trinidad…

For the impatient… in a one liner…

The Nereid’s Rally 2015

Period… read no further… but at least look at the pictures… 🙂

Ah… yet another one (rally that is), and at the risk of having this blog start to get monotonous, I’ll tell you all about it in great detail…

It can occasionally be difficult to concentrate on work here in Saint Laurent

It can occasionally be difficult to concentrate on work here in Saint Laurent

The story does have some legs and may take many a post in the telling so do indulge me…

It all started in Grenada with a girl in a polkadot bikini who definitely wasn’t afraid of coming out of the water.

Afraid to come out of the water?

Afraid to come out of the water?

Enter my racy assistant Nereid’s Rally promoter Carrisa Victor… (Yes it is spelt that way).

Pan player extraordinaire, founder of the S.P.O.R.S. Performing arts company, and all round talented lady…. ahem!

Let's play pan...

Let’s play pan…

Together we gave a small presentation at Prickly Bay Marina to drum up a few new entrants for this years event. One crew showed interest… Never mind, the trip wasn’t a total loss and there was still plenty of time before the start in September, (this was March).

But I had to get back to French Guiana and start the proverbial ball rolling… Or perhaps the not so proverbial mooring buoy floating…

Eileen of Avoca on one of Saint Laurent's first mooring buoys.

Eileen of Avoca on one of Saint Laurent’s first mooring buoys.

What’s-up in Saint Laurent du Maroni?

webcamSo what happened next?

Plenty! In fact it has been so busy of late I’ve not had the time to update this never ending blog.

But all that is about to change, and to whet your appetite have a wander over to this site and see what’s happening yourself.

Yes it’s a live (or quasi-live) webcam of Saint Laurent du Maroni.

Behold and be amazed… It’s even been described as MAGNIFICENT!

 

Let the good times roll…

It's Patrice...

It’s Patrice… who’s Patrice?

Much as I love the place, there is only so much Saint Laurent I can take before an inevitable relapse of PBBS has me itching to set sail once more.

The Trinidad remedy...

The Trinidad remedy…

Those who have followed this blog know that Post Brazilian Bikini Syndrome is a serious matter.

A pose or a wine?

A pose or a wine?

Luckily, numerous remedies are readily available and I’ve elected to try the ever popular dose of Carnival in Trinidad as treatment.

Would you like to join in?

Would you like to join in?

Not only does it relieve the symptoms of PBBS, it replaces the cravings altogether…

Birds of a feather...

Birds of a feather…

But if you read the small print, some side-effects such as a mysterious desire to carry out further ornithological studies can occur. 🙂

Ouch!

Ouch!

Leaving the marina office in the capable hands of the lovely Marion (obviously the one on the left)…

Marion and Tonichi stayed in Saint Laurent

Marion and Tonichi stayed in Saint Laurent

I sailed for 5 days to catch some carnival highlights…

It was bumper to bumper..

It was bumper to bumper..

and the bus…

The sailors bus reaches carnival...

The sailors bus reaches carnival…

Mind you I could have done without some of the bling on display.

It's the M.I.B. Men in Bling

It’s the M.I.B. Men in Bling

Here are some more photos of my recent study…

We cater for all sizes...

Carnival caters for all sizes…

After a few camera adjustments…

Just making a few minor adjustments.

Just helping with the adjustments.

It just got better…

Where was I?

Where was I?

and better…

I think the light is just about right now...

I think the light is just about right now…

and better..

Smile!

Smile!

What more can I say.

Hello hello...

Hello hello…

No more PBBS…

I'm cured...

I’m cured…

But wait, just to be sure…

An angel?

An angel?

and extra sure…

Sweet!

Yes… I’m sure now…

No more PBBS…

Definitely not the end...

Definitely not the end…

But wait… that’s not the end of this story…

See... no feathers!

See… no feathers!

It’s not only about the feathers!!

I do like the feathers!!

I do like the feathers!!

or is it…

Featherless in fine too!

Featherless in fine too!

I am of two minds on the subject…

What do you think?

What do you think?

Perhaps I should ask the audience…

How would you rate it?

How would you rate it?

Unfortunately they appear to be too busy to give an opinion…

So I’ll ponder the question as I sail on to Tobago…

Let the good times roll….

Update: The natives are restless…

The natives converge on Eileen?

The natives converge on Eileen?

Time to get this blog up to date and fill in some missing details…

In our last exciting blog episode, rally organiser pseudo-extrodinare and sometimes navigator, yours truly, was dealing with some negative feedback from one unhappy rally customer (there is no pleasing some…), while making a last round of compulsory visits to friends and family before the big push to start building some infrastructure in French Guiana and Guyana.

Could it get more exciting than that?

Definitely! But probably somewhere other than here…

Working with the marina architect... :)

Working with the marina architect… 🙂

Mind you, my quick visit to meet with the marina architects in land locked Matto Grosso, Brazil had some high points.

But all too soon I was back in Saint Laurent du Maroni opening the new office of the association “Friends of the Nereid’s Rally”, and doing something that looked a lot like “real work”…

for a change…

The new office of the association "Friends of the Nereid's Rally"

The new office of the association “Friends of the Nereid’s Rally”

It’s now the end of January and I’m pleased to announce that Saint Laurent now offers a whole range of services to visiting yachtsmen including:

â—ŹCheck-in Check-out Assistance
â—ŹHelp with Provisioning
â—ŹInternet & Laundry
â—ŹTechnicians & Spare Parts
â—ŹRepairs
â—ŹFuel Bunkering
â—ŹYacht & Freight Management
â—ŹAirport pick up & drop off
â—ŹMail Order Chandlery
â—ŹCommercial Diving

There is even a mini cafe just for the sailors!

But wait… there’s more…

While I can’t offer you a set of free steak knives with your visit…

Nor will I guarantee 100% satisfaction or your money back…

Moorings here soon!

Moorings here soon!

I can at least tell you that the material to install 20 moorings is on its way, and if all goes well, you can pick up a surpervised buoy in Saint Laurent for around 10 Euro a day (extra services for long term stays) starting May.

For details, contact the association at:

office@marinaslm.com

 

Nereid’s Rally photos

Nereid's Rally 2015

Nereid’s Rally 2015

Just a random selection of photos from the 2013 and 2014 editions of the Nereid’s Rally to whet your appetite for 2015.

Kaieteur Falls

Kaieteur Falls

One of the many reasons to visit Guyana!

We love Bartica!

We love Bartica!

There is no better way to get around than by boat…

Flight to Kaieteur Falls

Flight to Kaieteur Falls

OK, maybe one better way…

Our tour boat!

Our high speed tour boat!

But only because there is no other alternative for visiting some sights!

So we leave our yachts in the care of our ever present escort...

The coast guard of Guyana keeping tabs on our progress

So we leave our yachts in the care of our ever present escort…

The anchorage off Hurakabra River Resort

The anchorage off Hurakabra River Resort

and go exploring…

Off the beaten track

Off the beaten track…

There really are times when it’s worth leaving your boat… (not often, but it does happen…)

VIPs arrive at Hurakabra

VIPs arrive at Hurakabra

Just as long as we are back in time for the party!

It's smiles all round...

It’s smiles all round…

OK… I’ll admit that I do enjoy a party now an then…. but the Nereid’s Rally isn’t all about the receptions! Wonderful as they are…

Sailing to Suriname

Sailing to Suriname

It’s also about doing some serious sailing…

Follow the leader...

Follow the leader…

And admittedly, a bit of motoring…

Al glass of rum anyone?

A glass of rum anyone?

With lots of breaks in between to do important stuff like…

Food for thought?

Food for thought?

Eating too much…

The Torarica Pier

The Torarica Pier

Playing tourist…

Pirogue anyone?

Pirogue anyone?

Checking out the local transportation…

Yachtsmen with balls...?

Playing boules…?

Enjoying a round of the local sport on the Mana River…

It's Kit and the Mayor of Saint Laurent!!!

It’s Kit and the Mayor of Saint Laurent!!!

Unveiling the “soon to be” marina in Saint Laurent du Maroni…

It's visit a yacht day in Saint Laurent

It’s visit a yacht day in Saint Laurent

and getting to know the locals…

The town of Saint Laurent du Maroni

The town of Saint Laurent du Maroni

Which is really what the Nereid’s Rally is all about…

The town hall

The town hall

The towns and buildings are certainly interesting…

Children of Saint Laurent

Children of Saint Laurent

but it’s the people that give it it’s true flavour…

Come see for yourself!

 

 

The Nereid’s Rally 2014 English Review

So the Swiss gave the rally and its organisers the thumbs up. Not even mentioning that they had had a small run-in with a drifting sand barge in Paramaribo at 3am in the morning!

Not everyone was so forgiving, but the crew of Quicksilver did a fine job of putting things in perspective:

Here is what they had to say (or link to their blog here):

On the 4th September we left Scotland Bay Trinidad, a day later than the rest of the boats due to some last minute work we needed to do and began the journey To Guyana, sailing against the current and wind.  Four boats had left Tobago on the 2nd, two from Trinidad on the 3rd with another three possibly four to follow.This is the second Nereid’s rally to leave Trinidad and Tobago for the rivers of  Guyana and French Guyana and for the first time the rally has been invited by the tourist company Mets Travel & Tours to visit Surname. This is not an “all in line and follow me rally” as long as members make it to the arranged welcome events all is flexible.  David the organiser held seminars prior to departure and was always available to assist with queries.  The aim of the rally is to encourage sailors to travel South during the hurricane season and see what the Guyana’s have to offer and will have to offer with the construction of boat facilities on the Essequibo and a marina at Saint Laurent du Maroni.  This is not a blue water cruising rally, this is against the currents and into the tidal, murky waters of the three rivers, Essequibo, Suriname and finally the Maroni with their breath taking scenery and a chance to explore the rainforests on arrival.

We were due at the Hurakabra River Resort for our first official welcome on September 11th, and eight of the expected ten boats were in place.  A very warm welcome was extended by the Tourist Authority, hosted by Kit and Gem at Hurakabra with television and radio coverage, and over the week we were there we were given river tours, walks and a beach party. Family members of one of the rally participants were even included in the welcomes.  There had been a lot of effort put into our visit to Guyana and although there may have been one or two hitches, David did his best to smooth things out.  On days where no activities were planned boats went to Bartica and Baganara to see what else was available on the river and finally on the 17th September we departed Hurakabra as a group and headed down river on the tide to Roden Rust where we spent the last night on the Essequibo and the morning of the 18th we left for Suriname.

On the 20th September we arrived at Paramaribo to anchor opposite the Torarica Hotel, keeping clear of the marked area which fronts the presidential accommodation (clearly marked on up to date charts).  We were visited by the local Maritime Authority (M.A.S.), very courteous and friendly men who spoke excellent English, and came aboard for a cold drink while sorting paperwork.  We asked if they saw many yachts and they commented that although most visiting yachts go onto Domburg, Paramaribo is an anchorage, they never once said we should move up river.  We explained that we wanted to explore the town and take advantage of the tours offered and not be an hours drive, out in the sticks.  This they understood and said we were OK where we were.  Unfortunately the Torarica Hotel had second thoughts about our use of their landing dock, as they were in bad repair and they feared litigation as a result of any accident.  Eventually the cruisers negotiated reasonable rate for the use of the hotel pool, while David and the Mets Travel representative tried to sort out passports and check in, which was not as smooth as envisioned though polite.  The check in system is not really geared for cruisers as yet, in fact the only people interested in our visit were the tour operators, this will no doubt change if and when the media becomes involved, but all transport was laid on and the whole thing was made as smooth as possible.
Early in the morning of the 22nd September a crane barge drifted into one of the boats at anchor moving on to slide along a second boat, whoever was on board the barge waking up at this point put on his engines and moved away fast.  As no sound alarms were made, fog horn or even DSC radio, we slept through all this and were unable to offer help in identifying the runaway barge which would have been easily followed by dinghy.  We awoke to an understandably upset crew, unfortunately the first boat hit had two children on board and with the frustration we all know when trying to deal with officialdom and a rising awareness that this barge would never be identified, there are a lot of them on the Suriname river, tempers flared.  The upshot being that the first boat hit and and one other moved up the river to Waterland to decide if they wished to continue with the rally or return to Trinidad. David did offer them alternatives and we offered to do any repair on the hull they needed.  The rest of the boats, including the other casualty elected to stay in Paramaribo.
Unfortunate as this incident is, it only merits comment here as David, the organiser of the rally, has been falsely accused of failing to provide a safe anchorage.  The area chosen was out of the shipping lane and nearest to the proposed landing site.  As we are aware, it is up to each Skipper to read the chart and chose his own site, under maritime law it is the sole responsibility of the skipper of any craft to ensure the safety of his crew and vessel, this includes ensuring the vessel is properly equipped and insured, if an anchor watch is deemed necessary again it is the skippers responsibility.

30th September and David with Mets travel organise the transport to take crews to check out and five boats are leaving Suriname for Saint Laurent du Maroni, two boats left early, one missing the blue waters and one working with the rally to facilitate our welcome in St Laurent and one boat had move up to Waterland so they could be on a dock while they replaced their water pump.  We enter the river Maroni on the 1st October and set anchor until all the boats arrive and we can proceed up to St Laurent and our official welcome on Friday 3rd October, and a fabulous welcome it was. St Laurent is working to make this marina happen and the first stage was to switch on the Wi-Fi, we all know how important that is!  Once again we were wined and dined, a river trip organised and transport laid on so we could go to the out of town laundry and supermarket.  There was even a new event at the request of an Amerindian village, laid on at the last minute.  All boats and crews didn’t make it but I am glad to say we did.

The rally at 200 euro a boat was exceptionally good value and we enjoyed it immensely, every assistance was offered and David and the organisers worked very hard at making it a success, and we would recommend it to anyone looking for a new experience.  However, anyone thinking of joining a future rally, you are leaving the blue waters of the Caribbean, this is probably not suited to anyone new to sailing, it is up to you to check your insurance covers you for the extra miles involved and remember that you and you alone are responsible for the safety of your vessel and crew.

Chris and Sharon Mildenhall
S/V Quicksilver of Clyde

 

The Nereid’s Rally 2014 French Review

The Nereid's Rally send off in Tobago

The Nereid’s Rally send off on Swallows Beach, Tobago

I spent September and half of October doing this…

In the words of our Swiss contingent on Magic Swan:

If you can’t read what follows, it’s not the beer… you probably just don’t understand French… No matter, you can always look at the pictures!

Amis navigateurs,

Après plusieurs mois passĂ©s dans les CaraĂŻbes, nous nous sommes rendus Ă  Grenade afin de laisser passer la saison des ouragans. Le plan initial Ă©tait de naviguer entre Grenade et Tinidad&Tobago pendant cette pĂ©riode afin d’y ĂŞtre « en sĂ©curitĂ© ».

A Grenade, nous avons entendu parler d’un rallye (http://www.marinaslm.com/rally/) organisĂ© par David, qui partait dĂ©but Septembre de Trinidad ou de Tobago avec trois escales au programme. Bartica en Guyana, Paramaribo au Suriname et St Laurent du Maroni en Guyane Française. L’idĂ©e de quitter les CaraĂŻbes pendant un moment en attendant la belle saison et de dĂ©couvrir ces pays nous a immĂ©diatement sĂ©duits.

Nous sommes donc inscrit et avons rejoint un groupe d’une dizaine de bateaux pour mettre le cap sur le Guyana. Bien sĂ»r, certains vous diront que les conditions de navigation le long de la cĂ´te sud-amĂ©ricaine sont difficiles car les vents et les courants ne sont pas favorables.

Our GPS tracks to Guyana

Our GPS tracks to Guyana

Certes, il ne faut pas s’attendre Ă  faire du portant et quelques bords sont nĂ©cessaires pour rejoindre le Guyana mais est-ce si difficile que ça ? La première Ă©tape nous a donc menĂ© de Tobago jusqu’Ă  Bartica en Guyana. La navigation Ă©tait plaisante, 10-15 n’uds de vent et nous avons atterris Ă  Bartica après environ 6 jours, en comptant qu’il faut un ou deux jours pour remonter le fleuve Essequibo (magnifique !).

A trip to the local falls!

A trip to the local falls!

A Bartica nous avons Ă©tĂ© très bien accueillis par les autoritĂ©s et une multitude d’Ă©vĂ©nements avaient Ă©tĂ© soigneusement organisĂ©s par David. (visite d’un village amĂ©rindien, baignade aux chutes d’eaux, barbecue, etc..). En mĂŞme temps, chacun Ă©tait Ă©galement libre de vaquer Ă  ses occupations, visiter Bartica et rencontrer ses habitants très sympathiques.

Anchored off the Torarica Pier in Paramaribo

Anchored off the Torarica Pier in Paramaribo

Après un sĂ©jour merveilleux Ă  Bartica nous avons mis le cap sur Paramaribo au Suriname. Grâce Ă  notre organisateur, nous avons eu la chance de pouvoir mouiller en face d’un hĂ´tel qui se trouvait au centre-ville.(et de bĂ©nĂ©ficier de la piscine!) Il s’agit d’une bien meilleure option que de se retrouver bien plus haut sur le fleuve, Ă  environ une heure et demi de Paramaribo oĂą, il semble que quelques corps-morts soient installĂ©s.

I say... Who wants another drink?

I say… Who wants another drink?

LĂ , de nouveau, des activitĂ©s Ă©taient prĂ©vues en collaboration avec une agence de voyage locale. Après une bonne semaine Ă  Paramaribo, nous avons mis le cap sur St Laurent du Maroni en Guyane Française. Et quelle surprise quand nous avons atteint cette petite ville sur le fleuve Maroni! Un comitĂ© d’accueil impressionnant nous attendait et une fĂŞte avait mĂŞme Ă©tĂ© organisĂ©e pour l’arrivĂ©e des plus beaux yachts des CaraĂŻbes (comme il le mentionnait dans le journal local).

They had been running ads about our arrival for weeks!

They had been running ads about our arrival for weeks!

La radio et la télévision étaient là ainsi que tous les officiels. Nous ne nous attendions pas à un tel accueil et il faut bien avouer que nous avons été traités comme des princes par les autorités. (Réception de bienvenue, cadeaux, etc.) Les locaux étaient également curieux de voir arriver ces voiliers et nous avons pu partager avec eux de très bons moments.

An Amerindian welcome!

An Amerindian welcome!

A St Laurent du Maroni, l’organisateur du rallye et l’office du tourisme avaient co-organisĂ©s certaines activitĂ©s comme la visite d’un village amĂ©rindien, une après-midi dans une belle propriĂ©tĂ© au milieu de la jungle, une expĂ©dition au super marchĂ© (c’est pas très exotique mais ça fait plaisir de retrouver du fromage!), la visite du Bagne, etc.

Nous tirons un bilan plus que positif de ce petit voyage le long des cĂ´tes sud-amĂ©ricaines et ne pouvons qu’encourager d’autres personnes Ă  participer Ă  ce rallye. Nous souhaitons ajouter qu’avant ce voyage, nous n’Ă©tions pas vraiment enclins Ă  participer Ă  des rallyes, mais celui-lĂ  est Ă  taille humaine, avec un organisateur qui se plie en quatre pour rendre service aux participants et surtout qui apporte sa bonne humeur et partage ses expĂ©riences prĂ©alables.

The authors of the review!

The authors of the review!

A noter que David est en train de travailler sur un projet de dĂ©veloppement du yachting dans cette rĂ©gion et qu’il sera ravi de vous donner plus de dĂ©tails. N’hĂ©sitez pas Ă  visiter le site : http://www.marinaslm.com/rally/ pour plus d’informations.

SY Magic Swan

The Rally Seminar in Trinidad

The high-life in Trinidad

The high-life in Trinidad

Trinidad has grown on me!

Now that I spend less time slaving away in the yards of Chaguaramas and more time out and about, I’m content. It turns out that organising pre-rally seminars is even more fun than I had previously imagined… I’m in my element… Honestly… Just look at how much fun everyone is having.

I'm the one sleeping at the front!

I’m the one sleeping at the front!

This year, not only did we have a Guyanese delegation, but not to be out-done, the French came too! Even if only 3% of the people present understood what they had to say. Perhaps it was the free beer I offered to lure the audience there in the first place that was to blame (rather than any language difficulty)!

No matter, we had it all translated to English just to make sure.

The French Guiana delegation supervising from the rear.

The French Guiana delegation supervising from the rear.

The most difficult part of the whole affair was picking up the television for the delegations power point presentation.

You may recall that last year I had to purchase a new 40 inch TV for the show, and I’d given it away, but on the condition that I could use it again this year.

So far so good. The only trouble was that the family I’d given it to live in Arima. Not only is this a long drive from Chaguarams but…

Sunset in Trini

Sunset in Trinidad… Time to drive to Arima.

Picture this…

Late at night… white man in Arima… leaving locals house…. with their TV in tow….

I felt a little conspicuous to say the least, but it was all for a good cause and I can add that the TV was brought back to where it now belongs pronto!

Maybe they will even let me borrow it again next year.

On the hard…

The 2014 Rally Logo

The 2014 Rally Logo

So while I was off gallivanting around the world on more conventional modes of transport (like aircraft…, how novel), Eileen sat on the hard in Trinidad waiting for the 2014 edition of the Nereid’s Rally.

Well before the start, and the pre-rally seminar in mid August, I was meeting with sponsors in French Guiana, Suriname and Guyana. Just to make sure all was ready for the fleets arrival.

Yes, the Nereid’s Rally has sponsors!

There is even an association called “Friends of the Nereid’s Rally” recently formed  to promote it and raise funds for the official receptions.

This way the whole venture is non-profit rather than a net loser for me.

Thanks again:

Soreidom

Guyacom

MachDeal

mets

LOGO-OT-SLM

Hurakabra

Now you can see how another couple of months seemed to go astray…

And the final result?

Mixed… But more on that later.

Speaking of books!

What a sickening pretentious display...

What a sickening pretentious display…

How’s this for an idea…

“Eileen of Avoca” ,The journal of a 23ft sailing boat…. in hard-back hard-copy soon?

With a blurb that reads…

It has been eight years since Eileen of Avoca set sail with her current owner (yours truly) from Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight. Since then she has travelled through the canals of Belgium and France, sailed the Mediterranean as far as the shores of Alexandria Egypt, then returned to England via Gibraltar and the Bay of Biscay before setting off once more to cross the Atlantic and reach the Caribbean.

A grand adventure (’tis true ’tis true) and all recorded for posterity in one of the longest continuously (or should I say spasmodically) running sailing blogs (perchance true?) on the Internet.

This is not your usual book-to-be about sailing feats. For a start, there are no boating sponsors, no intended goal, no tragedy, no voyage of self discovery or even a whiff of an official record attempt… (there are some photos of pretty girls though).

Thumbs up... I'm counting it as a "like"....

Thumbs up… I’m counting it as a “like”….

Just the tale of a disillusioned nine-to-fiver who went sailing because it was his way to “get away”. Dripping with observational humour (I flatter myself these days… and even laugh at my own jokes when no one else does) and the occasional dash of sarcasm (perhaps it should read the other way around). Eileen of Avoca’s journal is a riveting (really?) if sometimes tall tale of the hardships (what hardships?) at sea, and the not so hardships at anchor (I’m particularly fond of those)…

Sprinkled here and there with a fact or two (I’m sure there is at least one), and padded with an occasional rant, it’s sure to have something that strikes a chord with everyone, whether they be armchair adventurers, dreamers, travel voyeurs, (out-patients with nothing else to read in the general practitioners waiting room), cynics, or hard-core sailors preparing for their next extreme challenge.

(Or…. perhaps not!)

.