Martinique to Guadeloupe

We had a few essential things to do in Martinique. The first and most important was to get another high pressure hose for the water maker. So off we went across the very bumpy water to Le Marin. I honestly don’t like bumping over the waves at speed, being thrown all over the dinghy, but we had to go fast otherwise we would have got wet!

After checking in, we dropped the pipe off at the shop and were told we could fetch it the following day. Island time kicked in and it wasn’t ready the following day! Two days later were able to fetch the new one with the fittings attached. Now we can make water without taking half the boat apart to make the hose fit!

We need to replace our dinghy. Andrew has tried several times to fix the leaks but the South African dinghy made out of PVC is just not suitable for the Caribbean sun! They are expensive, think small second hand motor car expensive. They were more expensive in Le Marin than we had seen online in St Martin, so we held off and continue to pump Mr Pump-a-lot every time we need to use it. Andrew glued the cones again for the umpteenth time and it has worked to a degree. But we still have a slow leak.

We have not eaten bread since leaving South Africa, so the first thing Andrew bought was a baguette. 

Baguette and Camembert

 

We had planned to spend Christmas in Martinique but once again the weather dictated our plans. 

 

I have said before that Andrew keeps a close eye on the weather, especially the wind. We realised that there was going to be good wind before Christmas, but afterwards the wind would die for at least five days. We didn’t want to be stuck in Martinique for that long, so we decided to head out.

Andrew and Ian decided at about 10am that we should leave that day. Of course it was a mad scramble to get everything ready before leaving. We had to check out of Martinique at Snack Boubou and buy a few essential things at the shop (wine, cheese, the obligatory cabbage).  

Once everything was stowed away properly, we were finally ready to leave. At noon we upped anchor and set off, raising the sails as we went. It was about 23 nautical miles to Saint Pierre which is a town at the top of Martinique. We had very good sailing with an easterly wind. We only had to motor sail a bit when the wind dropped on the Leeward side of the Island. 

We arrived in Saint Pierre at around 16:30. Watched the sunset, made supper and fell into bed. Saint Pierre is an interesting town. They had a volcanic eruption in 1902 which destroyed most of the town, killing more than 30 000 people. The ships that were in the harbour at the time of the eruption couldn't get away fast enough and all sank creating a no-go-zone of shipwrecks below the water. Although there were quite a few boats anchored in the safe spots, it was big enough for us to find a place to drop anchor for the night.

Mount Pelée

Saint Pierre

Coast road

Gumbar and the volcano

The following morning, we woke early, ready for the long sail to Dominica. We left St Pierre at 6:30 am as we had 54 nm to cover before we arriving in Dominica. We had a lovely sail across the channel which was 24 nm and took 4 hours. Unfortunately, the wind dropped on the Leeward side of the island, and we had to motor sail all the way up Dominica until we got to Portsmouth at 4pm. It was a very, very long, noisy day. After supper we fell into bed, exhausted.

Bloodied but unbowed, as my grandmother would have said, we awoke at first light and started making our way towards Bouillante Bay in Guadeloupe.

We often have to avoid fish traps, but that morning we had to avoid a large branch that was floating in the water.

Flotsam

We also have to avoid the big ships!

No wind so the screecher comes out!

The clouds look painted in the sky

We had mis-timed the wind dropping, as it was light again, and once again we had to motor sail but this time we had to motor all the way. We arrived in Guadeloupe at 14:30 and dropped anchor with relief. 

We have completed 365 nm since leaving Trinidad. We have many more to go before we reach The Bahamas. 

But it was time to relax and celebrate Christmas with our friends on Gumbar.

Merry Christmas

Union Island, Bequia and two hops before Martinique

We had had some really dodgy experiences in Union before, especially in Clifton Harbour where we need to check in to St Vincent and the Grenadines. Laura flatly refused to go ashore. We decided not to go into Clifton Harbour and instead anchored off Frigate Island. We arrived on Saturday afternoon but could only check in on Monday morning. So we spent the weekend snorkelling, swimming, reading and enjoying watching the kite surfers fly across the water.

Faye and Andrew went ashore on Monday morning, caught a bus and went into Clifton to check in. They took some lovely pictures on the way. Apparently, check-in was easy, and they were back within a couple of hours.

Photo credit: Faye Little

Photo credit: Faye Little

Photo credit: Faye Little

Buying tomatoes at the market

Photo credit: Faye Little

Photo credit: Faye Little

Photo credit: Faye Little

Photo credit: Faye Little

Photo credit: Faye Little

Photo credit: Faye Little

We had to wait a couple of days for the wind to be right before moving on. We left early one morning and sailed on to Canouan.

On previous visits we have supported a local fisherman called Wilbert, but we didn't see him this visit. Instead we had another fisherman come to our boat selling fish and lobster. We chose three snapper to have for supper. Sadly, they were not the best we have had. They were very bony and quite mushy. Not sure if the cook messed up or if they were dodge to begin with.

Snapper Supper

Canouan is a lovely island with lots of wealth on either side of it, and incredible poverty in the middle. Sandy Lane Marina, on the one side, is owned by an Irishman. We stayed there last year when a tropical storm blew through. At the other end of the island you will find the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, where it will cost you a mere $1,600 US a night out of season, $3,600 US a night over Christmas and New Year, for a one bedroom, ocean view suite. For more pictures and information on the island, check out the blog post from last year if you haven’t seen it yet.

 

We only spent a few days in Canouan before going to Bequia. The wind was howling over the hills and it became quite rolly, so we decided it was time to head out.

Happy chap at the helm

We left Canouan at first light making our way toward Bequia. As we reached the top of the island the sea became very choppy with seas about 2 meters. As we were letting out the head sail, I looked aft just as Andrew looked up the mast. Our dinghy, which is constantly losing air was swinging wildly on the struts at the back, and Andrew noticed the halyard (the rope that pulls the main sail up) was hooked around one of the steps on the mast. We had put in two reefs and the halyard must have blown askew when we were raising the main. 

 

So with bouncy, sporty waves, we hauled in the head sail, Andrew donned a life jacket and went aft to secure the dinghy. One of the lines holding it in place had broken so he found another one and tied it down securely. Then Andrew went to the mast, and I released the main while sailing into the wind to release some pressure on the main sail. Andrew managed to release the halyard and hauled the main sail up again. With Andrew back in the cockpit, we turned the boat back on course.

 

Once we were in the middle of the water between Canouan and Bequia, the waters calmed down and we had a lovely sail,  with 5 to 7 knots of boat speed.

 

There were a lot of boats sailing one way or another on the beautiful blue water. We were watching a big sailing boat which wasn’t on AIS coming straight for us. We were on a starboard tack and he was on port, which meant he should be the one to change course and avoid us. He did not budge at all. Andrew changed course and he sailed close enough past us so we could have passed him a beer. Andrew shouted at him, asking if he knew his colregs (rules of the road) but he, his crew and passengers just stared at us as he went past.

 

A few minutes later we had another cat come past us far too close. Honestly!! It was nerve-wracking.

 

We finally entered Princess Margaret Bay and anchored off Princess Margaret Beach. I couldn’t believe we were back in Bequia. Seriously missing our buddies who were with us this time last year.

View of the bay

Faye, Andrew and I went ashore to do some food shopping and walk around the little town. We decided to take the scenic route along the Princess Margaret walkway.

On the way back we stopped at Mac's for a quick drink. Their food is far too expensive with pizza's priced between 60 and 80 EC. (R400 - R550 each).

Faye and Siobhan

My sister and I went through a stage of drinking Mojito, so I had to have one. I haven't seen my sister in almost 2 years and miss her terribly!

Hairoun and Mojito time

Andrew and Ian went to the entrance of the bay to see the strange looking house on the hill. The place is called Moonhole and was built by Tom Johnston who lived there with his wife, Gladys. It is very difficult to get to the house by sea or by road which is exactly what they wanted. Tom built his own house and then built a few more for his wealthy friends. They look eerily beautiful from the sea as you pass when entering the bay.

Andrew had bought a gas detector back in South Africa. He finally got around to putting it in. Of course, one job led to another which led to a big mess on board!

While we were in Trinidad we had a bit of canvas work done by Kay, the canvas queen. One of the things was getting hatch covers made, a bit like an umbrella, which should keep out the rain, allowing us to keep the hatch open. It wasn't exactly what we wanted and we are still trying to figure out the best way to attach them to the windows, but they do the job they were made for.

Hatch covers

Trying to capture the beautiful fingernail moon

Faye, Laura and I went ashore to buy a few things. We decided to stop for refreshments before heading back to the boat.

Returning from our shore visit

Breakfast isn't breakfast without eggs on Calypso, but eggs were scarce in Bequia. I had hunted for them but couldn't find them in any of the Knight's supermarkets (all three of them). When Andrew went ashore to check out, he found a tiny shop selling tons of eggs at an over inflated price. But we had to have them as we don't eat cereal and toast is even off the menu at the moment. 

We had a few wonderful days in Bequia until the swell, which seemed to start at around 5 am, become too much. Although we were planning to leave quite soon, it was just too hectic. We were practically rolling out of bed in the mornings. We moved Calypso across the bay which was so much better. No roll, even the ferries passing by weren’t bad, and the view was beautiful.

Love the colourful houses on the hill

View on the other side of the bay

Ferry

The next stop was St Vincent. We upped anchor early on 15 December and made our way across the channel, dodging the ferries, and up the west side of St Vincent. We stopped in Chateaubelair Bay where the water is muddy and weed is growing on the hills above the bay. 

Gumbar

A young local, Kemroy Harry, came past our boat in his dinghy when we anchored. He looks after the cruisers, tells us where to anchor, and then offers fruit and vegetables for sale. He said he recognised us from last year and wanted to know where Bully was. He is brilliant as he doesn’t get pushy at all and once he has said hello he leaves us alone. There have been boat boardings and theft in the past, but we locked up at night and felt fairly safe, especially with Kemroy looking out for us.

The bay is quite deep and only get shallow close to the shore, so we had anchored really close to the waves breaking on nearby rocks on the shoreline. There was very little wind which meant we were meandering around our anchor most of the night. Not a good thing when you are anchored too close to shore. Needless to say, Andrew did not sleep well.

The following morning we were up before sunrise as the next leg was going to be a long one of more than 60 nm. 

Chateaubelair is right at the top of St Vincent, meaning we didn’t have to fight flukey winds going up the island. We had done all of that the day before.

Gumbar and a large ship

Look at that swell

Once again the sea state was terrible as we were rounding the top of the island. It was very choppy and the seas were quite big. Nevertheless, we put up the sails, with two reefs in the main, and headed towards Saint Lucia.

The Pitons

We continued to battle the waves throughout the trip and even considered pulling in to one of the bays further south. But, thank goodness we persevered, as it got better the further north we went. We finally arrived in Rodney Bay, Saint Lucia, at around 4:30. After nearly 10 hours on the water, we were ready for a sundowner, supper and bed.

Sunrise in Rodney Bay, St Lucia. 

Andrew said the next hop to our main destination, Martinique, was only 20nm which should have taken about 4 hours. But I think he miscalculated it as it took us 6 hours, weathering a hectic squall, bashing through waves, and fighting the wind to stay on course.

After the storm

Reading my book despite the swell

Laura, not worried about the waves or the wind

Gumbar sailing into a rainbow

I want to do more videos that we can post to our dormant YouTube channel. Andrew has this nifty thing which holds your phone to make the video smooth.

 

I usually plan a meal before we go but because I thought it was only going to be 4 hours I didn’t. It was too rough for me to go down below and cook anything so the poor crew had an unplanned intermittent fast.

Cloud over the hilltops

 

We had to motor the last few nautical miles to ensure that we weren’t miles off the target. Mouillage de Sainte-Anne is normally busy, but we were surprised at how many boats were anchored here. We managed to find a space and dropped anchor, finally. 

One can never really make plans on a boat as the weather dictates what we do. However, we are hoping to be here for a week or two, maybe even spend Christmas here. I'll keep you posted in the next blog.

Photo credit: Faye Little