Barbados

We have been doing some exploring of Barbados the last few days. We use buses as they are the only reasonable way to get around, about a $1.00 a ride. A car rental is over a $100 a day U.S. Barbados is the most expensive place we have visited yet. Grocery's are expensive as well as eating out. Took a bus up to Port Charles and also stopped at Hole Town for a look see on the way back. $2 Barbados dollars equal 1 u.s. dollar.


Dorothy did some snorkeling in our anchorage near a old wreck, quite a few fish.

After a week Dorothy got her new passport, a week sooner than they said, great! We will leave tomorrow as there is not a whole lot for us to do here, not much good walking and no hiking. The bakery's don't have things we like, looking forward to Martinique and it's french bakery's. We are also getting tired of this rolly anchorage and it is just too expensive here. Went and cleared out with customs and Immigration this afternoon on foot.



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-There are two local yacht clubs side by side almost in Carlisle Bay. The Barbados Yacht club or left hand one when looking to shore from your boat, is more up scale and apparently welcome overseas yachts, we tried to join but they want $300 Barbados returnable deposit on credit card which is fine if they just block it off, but they actually take it off so you end of paying foreign exchange twice or quite a bit of money. You could also give them the money in cash, but you get it back at the end of your stay so now your are stuck with all this money you can not spent anywhere else. So we said thanks but no thanks and went to the other yacht club, the Barbados cruising club and they are much better for us. There were no issues here and they welcomed us and you can even buy food and drink here which you cannot at the other place without joining and going through some more complications as they take no cash.


-We took a bus to Port Charles. The area is totally secured, we could not even get in there, we had to make up an excuse that we wanted to check the moorage rates with the marina to get in and look around. Rates are $2.40 U.S. a foot for a yacht. There is nothing much in the area so there is no point in stay there anyways. The guy said you could anchor off the jetty just to the south. I believe you tie up to the fuel dock to check in with customs, if clearing in here rather than Bridgetown.

-We cleared out with out having to take the boat to customs. They charge $50 dollars U.S. to leave.

-We took to the dinghy to beach by yacht club to leave it, bit of a surf landing.  Or we went  up river 1/3 of a mile N of where we were anchored.  Up the river go under the lifting bridge and turn immedialtly left and tie to wall and we used a lock and small chain. If you have a short bit of hose you can get water from taps here as well( taps at ground level). Up the river is very convient for shopping as your are right downtown, and 5 minutes from the chandlry