Marigot is a Moorings charter boat base and there are a few small hotels around the bay so all the services and prices are geared accordingly.
But it is such a beautiful setting that it would have been criminal to pass it by with out spending a night or two there so Gisela could sample it's charms.
The bay is in two parts seperated by a narrow spit of land carrying a fringe of palm trees. The story goes that an English Admiral once fooled the French by hiding in here with palm fronds tied to his rigging. The French sailed past and he doubled back and attack their undefended settlement.
We heard this story many many times as a steady stream of big catamarans and powerboats all carrying their quota of "Q Tips" did the circuit with the onboard commentary blasting out across the water.
CASTRIES
We moved up to Castries to do a little shopping at local prices and soon found out where all the tourists were coming from. There were 4 giant cruise ships tied up in the harbour and the Queen Mary 2 relegated to the anchorage outside the entrance.
The organisation all seemed to run smoothly though with shuttles running to and fro all day and squadrons of taxis / catamarans / speedboats loading and unloading the tightly packed white haired tourists.
We wondered where they found the passengers for all these giants and as the last one prepared to leave we watched as they were marshalled onto the top deck and given flags to wave. They waved so long and so strongly that Gisela thought they must have been being paid to do so. But it was when the kareoke or sing song started that we found out where they were from. Gisela's ears and eyes grew wide and she was soon singinging along with at least one of the songs.
Jerusalem
Rule Britannia
English Country Garden
My old mans a dustman
Roll out the barrel #Gisela's song#
the big P&O job had a bunch of Brits aboard!
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