LAND!!!
Sarah Grace goes to sea
Chris Yerbury and Sophy White
Sat 17 Feb 2007 20:59
Jamaica: it is love
at first sight and after 4 days and nights at sea it is especially good to
be here.
The night silhouette of the 7,400ft Blue
Mountains emerged into jungle green at dawn as palm trees and lush rainforest
became visible. Our route took us through a narrow channel behind an island(more
palm trees) and into the really beautiful harbour of Port Antonio where we
tied alongside Jem who cooked us a knockout breakfast fry up. Steep wooded
hills,backed by the mountains drop down to the sea where there are about 6
yachts and the odd open fishing boat. No commercial activity, ferries etc so
very peaceful and laid back: this is going to be a long pit-stop!
The town is virtually
hidden from the water by trees and came as a great suprise. It is like a
caribbean Lowrie scene: bustling with people everywhere, booming music(anything
from great reggae to country),colourful market stalls and quirky buildings. The
latter include a georgian red brick and veranda courthouse, and a
totally eccentric 4 storey building that incorporates every
architectural style from mock tudour to classic dutch gables.
Meanwhile the smell of ganja is inescapable- secondary smoking has never been
such fun.
This is 100% vibrant
West Indian Caribbean- a shot in the arm particularly after dull Curacao. Even
Soph has already admitted the latter's pallor in comparison.
Tomorrow we are
off to a local festival celebrating the African roots of the Jamaican
people, promising drumming, dance and traditional african clothes, no
doubt accompanied by jerk chicken and washed down with plenty of red
stripe.
Soph says she is
never going sailing again after the passage here.
Otti says: This place
is really cool, it has started raining and we are due to have a barbecue this
evening. No children around but should be OK. I miss home,I miss you all but not
,apparently, the 4inches of snow!!!!!!!!
Mimi says: Jamaica is cool.
It is trickey to get to sleep because every night they have loud music. Mum
ended up listening to it. It rains a lot in Jamaica. Miss you all, I've heard it
is snowing alot in England, from Mimi.