Because our next island was so close by, and since we couldn't depart till our band was done, we didn't leave Nevis until some time during the night. I believe it was around three in the morning. The others in my group would know best, since they were in the bachelors' quarters in the stern of ship, right near the engine.I awoke later than usual, to find we were already surprisingly close to land. The waters were calm enough that the ship was able to sidle up right to the dock. We'd been hearing rumblings on the taxi radios how Nevis wished to secede from St Kitt's and form their own government. The people of Nevis believed they were not getting their fair share of monies, and I guess the construction of this dock and soon-to-be welcome center was evidence of this. In the interim between my trip and the creation of this page, a vote was taken whether Nevis should secede (and in doing so become the smallest country in the world), but the motion failed by a few percentage points.Kristine's board:| WEDNESDAY JULY 1st RED /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ 0630 Sticky Buns & Bloody Marys 0730 Breakfast 0845 Captain's Storytime 0930 Island Tour Certified Divers 1000 & 1100 Parasailing 1200 Lunch 1330 Rainforest Hike Sea Kayaking1400 Snorkel Safari 1700 Snacks & Swizzles Duck 1845 & 2000 ish Dinner< Flank Steak 2000 - 2300 --> Steel Band!!! |
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I was the first person to sign up for parasailing when the sheet had been posted last night. I wasn't sure now if I'd been excited at the opportunity, had been under the influence of too many Red Stripes, or just wanted to punish myself. Whichever, I regretted last night's impulse, but forced myself to go along with it.The benefit of having signed up for the first round of parasailing was that I'd gotten it over with and now had the morning free. The rest of my party was still in town, which didn't seem like that bad an idea for me. It was a long around the grounds of the planned dock, but soon enough I was amidst old buildings, new fast food places, and busy hooting traffic. St Kitt's was noticeably different than Nevis, with more stores and a bigger harbortown. A KFC sign was quite visible from our ship. I walked aimlessly into town, first veering left and then backtracking and heading past where I'd entered. At the end of this "Y" I entered Independence Park. I walked around its fountain and admired the church and old buildings around its perimeter. |  |  |  |
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One of the drawbacks of walking around with a video camera is that people think you have a disposable income. Within moments of stepping onto the sidewalk I was beset by taxi drivers offering to give me tours of the Island. And as I walked around Independence Park I was joined by man named Stuart, asking me for money. Stuart was a nice looking man, but with rheumy eyes. He hated to ask me for money, but he was waiting to wash someone's car. This person, in a nearby building, did not appear to be arriving, so Stuart feared he would lose any earnings. I paid for the privilege of learning this story and also how he was originally from England.It seemed my lot to either get heckled or get panhandled, so without much more delay I fled back to the ship.Besides, I'd also signed up for another side trip, the Snorkeling Safari.For the first time this week, I was back to the ship in time for snacks and the rum swizzles I'd heard about. Most of the rest of my party had gone to Rainforest Hike. The St Kitt's rainforest was supposed to be more scenic than that of Nevis, but regardless I did not care to go on another hike.While I lounged about on the top deck, an announcement came over the PA that our plans were changed: we would be going to Saba tomorrow. This meant little to me, but I guess it was big news. The Polynesia had reportedly not been to this island in five years, due to its location in rough waters. But a passenger with relatives on the island had beseeched the Captain, so I guess he was going to chance it. At least one crewmember had relatives there too.The change in plans suggested we'd hit St Barth's on Friday. This might coincide with the rumored arrival of Jimmy Buffett. According to Linus, a crew member, he had seen Jimmy Buffett this afternoon on St Kitt's, had gotten a cap from him, and had learned Buffett would be traveling to St Barth's on Friday. Reporter Marnie Green takes up the story, in this RealVideo slideshow. It all sounded a bit fishy, especially since Buffett was in the midst of his summer tour -- but then again Jimmy has his own amphibian aircraft and could easily hop around the islands on his days off, if he wanted to. I was willing to go along with it, though -- until I saw the hat Buffett had reportedly given Linus. It was the same silly "Parrothead" hat you can get it through Buffett's mail order or at his Margaritaville Cafe. And I recalled how Linus himself, recognizing the collection of Buffett tour shirts I modeled each day, had told me way back on Monday about his cap.Coincidentally, or maybe not, Buffett music (specifically the "Bars" CD) played over the PA. I raised a swizzle to the music and went to the stern to watch the sun set behind the mountain. A trail of smoke scoured the length of the island; I heard this was normal though, emanating either from a "candy" or "canning" factory. |  |  |  |
A launch arrived, carrying the steel drum players and all their gear. There had to be seven or eight of them: a veritable pan orchestra. A couple kept time on woodblocks or triangles, one provided a bass rhythm on huge steel barrels, but the rest played pans. The music was great, but it was a shame our response was not greater. I could only blame our overexertion the night before. We were an appreciative audience, but we were not loud and there was no dancing. I offer the opening song of the Coronets Steel Band, Jamaica Farewell, in RealAudio.Kristine's board was updated with information about Saba:TONIGHT --> 2300
2015ish Last Seating LAST
1930-2230-->Steel Band LAUNCH
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Yes, you can go on the
Island Tour & Do the
or SABA Snorkel
& Dive STUFF Safari
Taxi's are limited! It's
always an 'Adventure' getting
to the top! So its recommended
to go on the tour!
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I waited for the rest of my group to come back from their hike, so I missed a great deal of the pan music while we were at the second seating of dinner. For instance, I missed their performance of "Margaritaville". My cousin John taped it, so I might be able to include it here later.While the band took a break, I was surprised to find one of the percussionists approach me and ask if I had a razor. He said his chin was itchy. I told him I had an electric razor. He looked slightly confused, but I led him down to my cabin and showed him my electric razor. He eyed it strangely, as if never having seen one before. But he clicked it on and stepped into the head to face the mirror. In my years of college and in working in cable television, I've had opportunities to work alongside performers and musicians, but it was certainly a first to assist a band member in shaving! |  |  |  |
After the concert ended, we gathered around as the lead pan player gave us a little lesson. We got to see how the pans were shaped inside, almost like an inverted tortoise shell, with the octagons pounded to different thicknesses to create different tones. He showed how the small mallets were tipped by rubber bands. He asked us to suggest a melody so he could play it for us. My second cousin Callie suggested the theme from Titanic. Her father, Don, doubted he'd know it. He said he did, but couldn't quite remember it; but with a little prompting from me, he was soon tapping out the melody.My cousin Tom and I stayed up by the bow, as usual, well after everyone else left. It was surprisingly early for the top deck to be so quiet and lifeless. Without exactly trying to, we'd managed to stay up later each night. We thought about staying up until the Polynesia set off for Saba. We'd heard or been told that the ship travels at around nine miles per hour, and Saba is about sixty miles away. Somehow my faulty mathematics suggested this would be earlier than it turned out to be. We finally gave up waiting at around one:thirty. The bar was closed up, covered by a plastic sheet, but we found at least one other person still up.