Le Marin, Martinique

We sailed (yes, sailed!) into Martinique yesterday afternoon. Wind was about 15-20 knots and seas were 5-8 feet, so at first it was a little choppy but it smoothed out as the passage went on. Our chartplotter gave us a maximum speed of 21.9 knots, which we know is not true since we were passed by a much faster-moving monohull while we made the passage. So the chartplotter must have got hold of an invalid data point somewhere. I'll just blame it on lousy programming, ha-ha.

We cleared in at customs and immigration this morning, which is usually a pleasure in the French islands. However, Le Marin is all modern and sophisticated and instead of filling out paperwork with something as archaic as a pen they require you to enter the data by computer. But there are only four workstations and there was a long line of people waiting. Making things worse was the excruciatingly slow rate at which all four people were typing. I say typing, but really every one of them was using the hunt-and-peck method, which is normally fine but when ten people are waiting to use four PC's it can be annoying. So it was finally our turn to step up to the plate and since I am the faster typist, I sat down at the keyboard. Qnd proceeded to ;istype qll;ost every word. Apparently French keyboards are not qwerty -- seems they have rearranged the thing to suit their own language, so 'q' is where 'a' should be and 'm' is hiding way off to the right with a semicolon taking its place. No wonder everyone was typing so damn slowly! But we finally finished and printed our form and were good to go. The customs official didn't even look at our passports or our St. Lucia paperwork. The French couldn't care less who you are or where you've been. Bienvenue a France!

The town of Le Marin isn't anything great as far as tourist attractions go, but it is chock full of boat chandleries, sail lofts, mechanics, and pretty much anything you'd want if you needed to work on your boat. We didn't need any of that stuff so we headed off to the grocery store, which puzzlingly is simply named "Ed", not sure why. We didn't need any food but we did want to get ahold of some wine. French wines are cheap here (well cheaper than in the US anyway; there's no duty because we are technically in France) so we made a resolution to try a few bottles. Neither of us knows the first thing about wine so we formulated a brilliant plan: hang out in the wine aisle until some French-looking person wandered by to pick up a bottle and then just get whatever they got. The master plan was foiled by not one but two French matrons who each grabbed a box of wine (a la Gallo) instead of one of the many bottles on the shelves. Argh. Determined to return to the boat with something in a glass container, we ended up randomly choosing a white Bourgogne chardonnay and a red Brouilly (which I can't even pronounce since it has too many l's. Must be good, then.) Wonder which one will go best with pizza, since that's what I'm making tonight. Classy, I know. Bottoms up!

Where we are:
Location=Le Marin, Martinique
Lat=14 27.947
Lon=60 52.547

Rodney Bay - Pigeon Island

It's been a quiet couple of days here in Rodney Bay. Quiet except for the incessant jet skis, that is. There are several huge resorts along the beach and of course all of them have their own armada of beach toys -- hobie cats, banana boats, etc. I've come to tolerate the jet skis, but yesterday two yahoos on a hobie cat came a little too close to our boat; they almost didn't turn in time. I do wonder sometimes if there are ever any accidents.

Speaking of accidents, Saturday morning Kevin dinghied over to the fuel dock to fill our jerry jugs and watched two boats damage themselves while getting fuel. The first one was a catamaran -- the wind was blowing him hard onto the dock and instead of using his engines to maneuver himself off the dock he just put them both in full throttle forward and tried to power off the dock. Worked really well until he tried to turn the bow to the wind, his transom scraped pretty hard against the pilings and he got pushed back up against the dock. Ouch. Then a powerboat beat up his props trying to tie up inside the T-head where the water was too shallow for his boat. I guess we're just glad it wasn't us. When the wind starts pushing you around, docking can be a real pain in the butt.

That afternoon we decided to head over to Pigeon Island where we'd heard there was a good book exchange. So we took about twenty paperbacks and headed across the bay. We pulled up to the dinghy dock and a woman wearing a National Trust shirt asked us to pay the park fee of US$5 per person, even though we were just going to trade books at the bar. So we paid our fee, traded our books (at least the book swap was free), and decided to explore a bit since we'd already paid for it. Pigeon Island (not really an island -- a causeway built in 1970 links it to the mainland) has an interesting history. The first European to settle on St. Lucia was a Frenchman named Jambe de Bois (literally "leg of wood", yep a real live pegleg), and he used the island as a base for raiding Spanish ships. Later the Brits established Fort Rodney on the island, and even more recently the US used the island as a signal station in WWII. Imagine getting that plum assignment, instead of being shipped off to Normandy. Although the locals must not have been too happy about the outpost, since the interpretive display referred to it as "the US occupation", failing to mention that the US paid to lease the island and established the station to keep an eye on Martinique (a French territory) after the fall of France to the Germans. But who wants to split hairs? Anyway, after a bit of a hike we reached the fort which was high up on the hill with views of both the bay and the Caribbean Sea. Big kudos to Kevin for doing the hike with a backpack full of books.

Rodney Bay - The Mystery of the Weeping Mast

The last couple of days have been spent putting the boat back in order after having guests: doing laundry, putting gear back in the guest closet, etc. We were sad to discover that the Rodney Bay Marina didn't have a coin-op laundry, and their laundry service wanted an astonishing US$18/load to wash dry and fold. No way. So we gave all the big stuff (sheets, towels, etc) to a cheaper local laundromat called Sparkle that picks it up by boat and delivers it the same day for US$11. Still expensive, but not outright highway robbery. But we still had about four loads of laundry to do on the boat, so we spent our last day in the marina hooked up to shore power getting that done. It was late afternoon and we were sitting in the salon when Kevin noticed a drip on his arm coming from the compression post (the post directly under our mast). We looked and water was seeping out around the whole post. We were worried about that because it had been raining and the last thing we need is a leaky mast. So Kevin tore apart the headliner (ceiling) and discovered that it wasn't just the compression post but the whole fiberglass ceiling that was wet. The water wasn't coming from just one place, it was more like condensation instead of a leak. But we couldn't figure out why. The air temperature inside the boat was the same as outside the boat. So was the humidity. It was a head-scratcher. It finally dawned on Kevin and he asked, "When was the last time we washed -- and dried -- four loads of laundry on the boat?". Well, we never had. Usually we use the machine to wash and then hang stuff outside to air-dry, but it was too rainy so we were using the dryer. Which, as it turns out, was causing water to condense all over the compartments where the dryer exhaust was connected. Mystery solved! Elementary, my dear Watson.
We left the marina yesterday and are now anchored out in Rodney Bay just off Reduit Beach, waiting for good weather to make the 22-mile passage to Martinique.
Where we are:
Location=Rodney Bay, St. Lucia
Lat=14 04.504
Lon=60 57.450

St. Lucia - Playing Tourist

We scaled the peaks one day and dove the depths the next. My dad, Kevin, and I all went for a two-tank dive at the base of the Pitons. Both dives were drift dives but the second one "Superman's Flight" was the best. We got to swim with a turtle and we seemed to "fly" over the bright corals below. So we definitely got the most out of our time in Soufriere. We headed back up to Marigot hoping to hit the Friday night Fish Fry in Anse La Reye, which Kevin really wanted to go to, but it wasn't meant to be. Not only did cabbies want US$80 or more (to go a mere 2 miles, mind you. For reference, a cab ride the whole length of the island to the airport actually costs less: US$70!) but also the weather was not cooperating. It rained right up until we made the decision not to go, and then sure enough it was clear for the rest of the night. So we hung out in Marigot instead and ate dinner at Chateau Mygo, where at least one of us was happy: the music they were playing seemed specifically selected for my dad (all Bee Gees, all the time).

For my dad's last few days in St. Lucia, we headed up to Rodney Bay where all the resorts and good beaches are. He and Suzie definitely got in some good beach time (those of you who know me well know that I'm neither a sun person nor a sand person, so I just hung out on a chair under an umbrella, cold Piton in hand). We also took a side trip to a small inland town called Babonneau to check out the rainforest. And the zip lines. I had never done a zipline before, but the whole experience was worth it. First we rode up in a "tranopy" gondola above the rainforest canopy while our guide Akim pointed out interesting flora and fauna. Then we got to zip through 10 different lines, flying high above the forest floor (we'll try to post videos in the next day or so). It was definitely a cool and different way to see the rainforest.

On their last day in town, we headed into Castries, the capital of St. Lucia, to see the straw market. It's really more than a straw market; they have all kinds of handicrafts, clothing and souvenirs. It was bigger than the ones we'd been to in the Bahamas and Grenada, but just like those markets everyone is pretty much selling the same thing, so we can't really figure out how all the vendors stay in business. Most of the touristy "St. Lucia" T-shirts and Polos were about US$12-20. However, after we tired of the market we wandered around the downtown and found a Hobie outlet (where the locals must shop) and saw jeans, cute tops, and all kinds of good stuff for EC$10-30 (roughly US$4-11). I guess the ladies at the market sell one Bob Marley t-shirt to a cruise ship tourist and then go buy themselves a couple new outfits with the profits. Nice. If I ever go back to work, maybe I'll try to get in on that racket.

Where we are:
Location=Rodney Bay, St. Lucia
Lat=14 04.473
Lon=60 56.946

Soufriere - Gros Piton

When my dad arrived and said he wanted to hike one of the Pitons, we humored him and said "Sure, great idea" thinking that once he saw the size of the mountains he would change his mind. He still wanted to go, but we agreed it might be best to just go halfway up. We called ahead and made arrangements to hire a guide (the forestry department requires you to go with one) to hike Gros Piton. Gros Piton (2671 feet) is the more hikeable Piton. Although not as tall as Gros Piton, Petit Piton is very steep and at some points you have to climb on fixed ropes. So we met up with Mervin, our guide, and set off up the mountain. Somewhere along the way, the plan for only hiking halfway up turned into going for the summit. Round trip, it's a four-hour hike: two hours up and two hours to get back down. It's an elevation change of 1900 feet from trailhead to summit (compared to 1100 feet for Camelback Mountain in Phoenix). The last half of the ascent was extremely steep and we were all feeling it. Except Mervin, of course. He didn't even break a sweat. It was also impressive that he was hiking in what appeared to be women's shoes (plastic multicolored jelly sandals).

Anyway the view from the top was priceless. There was a southern viewpoint where you could see St. Vincent on a clear day (too hazy for us), and a northern viewpoint with views of Petit Piton all the way to Martinique (again, not clear enough the day we went). I will say that the hike back down was excruciating for me, very hard on the knees and joints. It felt like it took forever but finally we got back to the village of Fond Gens Libre, where a nice lady was waiting with a cooler full of drinks, and of course a gift shop full of T-shirts.

Soufriere - Bounty of the Sea

We sailed from Anse Cochon down to Soufriere. The wind was gusty, there were times we were going 8.5 knots, and then the wind would die off and we would slow down to a crawl -- about 2 knots. But Kevin threw a couple of lines out hoping maybe the fish would like the fact that for once we weren't using the engines. It was worth a shot, but sadly there was no fresh fish for dinner last night. But Kevin did pull something useful out of the sea. After we picked up the mooring we all went for a snorkel and he found two full unopened beers resting on the bottom among the coral. Did we pull them out? You bet. They are chilling on ice right now. If we were French we'd call them fruits de la mer, but since we're not we'll just call them sea beers.

Where we are:
Location=Soufriere, St. Lucia
Lat=13 51.433
Lon=61 03.913

Anse Cochon -- Surprise!

Sorry for the lack of posts this week -- it has been a busy one. Back in January, my dad mentioned that he might be able to come out for a visit in February or March. I told him to keep me posted of his plans and let us know. We checked our SSB email the afternoon of February 6th and found a message with this subject: "I am booking a flight for Feb 7". What?!!? So for the next 24 hours the boat was a whirlwind of activity as we prepared for our guests. My dad and his girlfriend Suzie arrived in Marigot Bay around 11pm the next night. We caught up over a few Pitons (which for some reason, my dad keeps calling "Pintons") and got them settled in.

The next day we hiked to a scenic lookout over Marigot Bay. We had to walk through Marigot Beach Resort to get to the trail. You know it's steep when the resort gives its guests the option of walking up 250 stairs or taking a mini-cable car. We took the stairs, plus the hike, and though my calves were sore the next day the view was totally worth it. Marigot Bay has more tourist resorts than Soufriere, so there is definitely more nightlife. We decided to do a pub crawl that evening. We started off at JJ's Cantina for happy hour, where we were approached by Christine, an island lady who braids hair. She gave Suzie a "gift" of two braids; she claimed she could braid "like a computer" and she wasn't kidding -- you could barely see her fingers they were moving so fast. (She was so good that Suzie actually had Christine do the rest of her hair the next day.) Our next stop was the Rainforest restaurant. Our guidebook said it was a fancy place, but we weren't prepared for the valet service at the dinghy dock. It was dark, and a well-dressed guy walked out with a flashlight and guided us to the right spot for the dink (in a small lagoon lit with underwater lights) and helped tie us up. Finally we headed over to the Hurricane Hole bar, where three of us had the lobster dinner and Kevin enjoyed the best burger yet in the Caribbean (our apologies to Chris and Barb -- the burgers down at the Oasis are a close second!). By this time we were all a little hammered, so we skipped the other two bars in the bay and headed back to the boat. My thanks to the makers of Piton for my killer hangover the next day.

Yesterday afternoon we headed over to Anse Cochon and found some pretty good snorkeling. There is a wreck (the Lesleen M) lying in about 65 feet of water just a few hundred feet from our boat. The visibility was good and we could see the whole length of the wreck (165 feet). It was a freighter that was sunk on purpose to create an artificial reef. There were quite a few fish, a lot of sergeant-majors and we even saw a green turtle swimming around down there. Nearer to shore there was some excellent snorkeling as well. Today we'll head back down to Soufriere so our guests can get a glimpse of the real Pintons, er Pitons.

Where we are:
Location=Anse Cochon, St. Lucia
Lat=13 55.667
Lon=61 03.513

Soufriere - The Pinnacles

In St. Lucia, you are required to dive with a guide so we enlisted Chester from Action Adventure Divers. He picked us up in his boat and we set off for the Pinnacles -- four seamounts that begin more than 70 feet deep and rise to within a few feet of the surface. The pinnacles were originally volcanic but are now encrusted with a colorful variety of corals and sponges. Fish spiral around them and we felt like we were flying around underwater mountains. The colors were incredible, bright oranges and pinks along with neon greens. We will definitely do some more diving while we are here.