Monkey Business and Atmosphere in Secret Harbor

Here in Secret Harbor we have spent most of our days cleaning. Roger did the big lazarette and found potential problems with the steering and the hot water heater. He changed the oil, refilled the fresh water cooling reservoir and took some black water out of the aft holding tank. I have gone through most of the cabinet drawers and other storage spaces with vinegar and bleach to try to clean and disinfect them, as well as try to improve the organization of their contents and throw out things we don’t need. A second mind and new thoughts on organization is always helpful which Roger recognizes though he is resistant to change.  There is still a lot to do but we have made progress. Roger keeps telling me that I will feel more that the boat is mine if I work on it, and he is probably right... as resistant as I am to work, "probably" is the best I can do.  But cleaning and restoring are not the stuff of which interesting blogs are made.

We had a tour, through an introduction by our friend, Marti, of Atmosphere, a 173 foot megayacht.

Notice the mammoth rod rigging above Lene's head and the size of the fender.

Next is ILENE,  the speck of white anchored off her starboard quarter and Atmosphere's brow (gangplank), which when raised to horizontal, slides into the side of the hull which then closes over it.

Roger did not think it polite to take pictures of the interior in the absence of the owner and his permission, but these opulent rooms filled with original artwork (the heads with marble bathtubs) can be seen in photos on the boat’s website, above. What a boat!  Atmosphere has two inflatable launches (only $135K each) stored under port and starboard panels of the teak foredeck which lift up like gulls wings arcing toward the centerline. These boats are lifted out by a crane which is buried under another teak panel of the foredeck at the centerline. Many dinghys are named  “Tender to s/v [Name of boat]” with “s/v” meaning “sailing vessel”. These tenders are to “s/y” : sailing yacht.  Atmosphere was built by Perrini Navi , a well known Italian builder of megayachts, ten years ago. She has push button everything and rod rigging. 

 

The owner grew up on the docks of Marseilles and is a self made multimillionaire. When he is aboard, he brings his own two chef to cook for him and his guests, 14 can be seated in the dining room, or perhaps 50 on the outdoor patio aft. This chef’s galley has everything a professional chef could want. We were treated to coffee and pastries in the crew’s galley and spoke with the Captain and crew. The crew includes a crew’s chef and her galley is bigger than our kitchen at home and better equipped.  Two washing machines and two dryers and an ironing station are on the engineering level: no wrinkled sheets for guests to sleep on here!  The crew of six each have quarters bigger than our Pullman.

She was at the dock and we were anchored quite close to her so Roger offered to move our boat if its location would make it difficult for her to get out. But with two propellers, one in forward and the other in reverse, plus a bow thruster, she had no trouble getting away from the dock the day after our tour.

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She is headed for a few days sailing in the Grenadines with a French TV mogul producer (friends of the owner) before leaving next Monday for the French Riviera.  ILENE is quite small by comparison, yet there are larger megayachts as well as plenty of boats smaller than ILENE. We are, indeed, content with our lot.

Then Marti drove us on a trip to the north of this nation. We went to Grand Etaing (Big Lake) a pond in a nature preserve at elevation of 2000 feet.Here is the lake:

We walked a trail to a clearing at the top with a picnic bench under a thatched roof where we ate lunch. We could barely see the Caribbean due to fog.

This is a high rainforest and the fog in question is actually clouds, but it reminded us at times of New England. It was also noticeably cooler up so high.

And then we met the family of mona monkeys; these are two of the adults.

They have learned to beg from tourists and to unwrap candies. I suppose it is easier than unwrapping figs, which is what they call the local small bananas here. (I got a fig for them because it is healthier than candies.) They live uncaged  and hence are wild, but when I was holding the bigger part of the banana in one hand while offering a bit of it in the other, one of them swiped the bigger part. Like I say, they are acclimated to humans.

Next stop, after passing through the island’s second largest town,  Grenville, was the nature preserve of Belmont Estate, on the north coast. This is Cookie’s home, and that of her mother, Darla, who rejected her. She is in a pen with five other young goats her size.

The blue marks are temporary, disinfectant applied where she was dehorned by a cauterization process.  Dairy goats are easier to handle without horns. These goats are mostly female and either pregnant or giving milk. The males are sold off; curried goat.  If it were at all feasible, I would bring Cookie home with us.  I bet Alpha Girl & Whitty would approve....NOT!

Also at Belmont are land tortoises, parrots, and a chocolate factory. We saw the beans in their ingenious drying pans, perhaps 15 feet by 30 feet, which are on rails so that one can be rolled under another, and a cover can be rolled over both to keep them dry during the frequent rains.

We saw the dry beans being ground by hand in an old fashioned meat grinder and of course the bars – no milk chocolate – are for sale.

A very full and fun day, and a break from the deep cleaning which we continued the next day. Alfie in a partially packed suitcase lent to us by Marti; kitty is ready to come home.