Crew

Two weeks earlier I had seen a post on the Caribbean Crew Facebook site by a young couple looking for a ride to Panama. After thinking about it we decided that having more crew would make the watches easier. I contacted them and their CVs and personality sounded great so we agreed that Marin and Charlotte would join us in the last week of April.

A day later Will sent me a note saying he had seen my answer to the blog Charlotte had posted and asking if I would think of having another. After an exchange of information, I agreed.

It was the right decision – it was refreshing, interesting, and fun. Also, Charlotte and Marin were every good cooks.

Anse D’Arlet, then Anse Noir and Anse Dufour

We were delayed about a week from when we had first planned to leave, so we went up to Anse D’Arlet, then Anse Noir and Anse Dufour trying to fill in some of the time. Good for an initial sail and to get away from Le Marin, and Saint Anne and do some snorkeling.

Snorkeling

Saint Lucia

We arrived back at Saint Lucia to pick up the screen on the Wednesday night before Easter as we had been told it would be ready to collect on Thursday. We anchored late and went into the marina for dinner – it was a beautiful night.

Thursday and no screen – we were told that customs had had Monday and Tuesday off and that it hadn’t turned up on Thursday and nothing would be open until Tuesday. We were not happy.!!

The crew went to walk over the fort and I went to exchange some books at our favourite cafe. I discovered that the park was fixing the dock but rescinding the license for the restaurant and giving the license to someone else. I was very sad to hear of the political maneuvers. The boys enjoyed the seating at the quirky tables tables.

Against all odds we made some inquiries and were told that the chandlery in Martinique would be open on Easter Saturday – so we checked out of Saint Lucia on Thursday afternoon and headed north back to Martinique. A beautiful day with no wind so motored all the way.

Martinique

We anchored in Saint Annes again and first thing in the morning I went to check in and Hew went to get the screen – surprisingly it was there and ready for us. Brilliant. We paid the guy and gave him a bottle of wine for all his help. The second screen had been received first and we were so relieved – it went into the helm station and worked perfectly.

We returned to the anchorage and decided that we were going to stay in Martinique until Tuesday so we should all do something. I went ashore for a swim and to take some photos of the lovely sunset and it was the last time we were in Saint Annes.

Anse Sainte Anne

Anse Saline

The crew had friends who were going to visit and they decided to walk around to Anse Saline. We had seen the beach on the way in and decided we might go around for the day – it was supposed to be day anchorages only.

When the crew got to Anse Saline they texted about how lovely it was so Hew and I took the yacht around and anchored on the western end which looked nearer to the snorkeling and close to the restaurant as they said they were at a restaurant -but they were at another. Their friends were camping and they were halfway up the beach. Under all the trees there were dozens of tents.

Anyway – I went for a snorkel and the crew decided they would swim out after lunch with their friends some time later they turned up. then ensured an afternoon and night of music and jamming. Salem and Will both great players – Salem had not played a piano for 9 years but had her guitar at the tent.

They went in the dingy to get their gear and the guitar then the session continued.

Later Salem’s boyfriend Jude turned up – he had also swum out but was just told we were on a catamaran – when he got far enough out he could hear which one.

What a great night!

The next morning it was back to Sainte Anne but only to check out – it was windy and rough.

Saint Lucia

We finally picked up the last Raymarine screen from Ezone, then customs, and checked out. Once we were signed out, we went to the fuel dock where it poured with rain right after we had arrived so we put the Nav station screen in, checked all the software, and changed the chart card, and we were ready to leave.

We refuelled after the rain finished and left with the sunset

Finally the Passage

We were finally on the way. The first night we decided to be conservative, the wind was up 20 g 25 so we just wandered off with one reef in the main and genoa.

In the morning we got up and the weather was looking good so we rolled out the Code Zero and discussed raising the spinnaker after breakfast when Hew had woken up. As they say – nothing goes according to plan. As Hew came up from bed – he noticed that the roller furler for the Code zero was on a weird angle so the halyard must have slipped – no such luck. The sheath on the halyard had separated from the core. We furled it to drop it onto the deck but could not get the halyard down. So Hew had to go up the mast. Still blowing 20kts and rolling 2m seas – not nice. Ended up cutting the line.

The rest of the trip was with the genoa and main and all downwind. Very frustrating but nothing could be done – even though there was a spare halyard it was too rough to go up the mast right to the exit point to run mouse lines and then a new halyard and lash that to the mast. A job for a calm spot.

Anyway, we were on our way and time was running out. Here are a few photos of the trip.

We arrived at Shelter Bay at 1830 L to a very friendly welcome back, which was lovely. The next day we cleaned up and tried to check out but the Port Captain never turned up so no one could leave. The following day we were cleared in early, Marin and Charlotte were off to Costa Rico, and Will stayed around for a couple of days before cycling up the coast to Portobello. The new crew for the Pacific(older) Graeme, Geordie, and Craig arrived before the others had left the yacht.

The next stage of the expedition was about to start.

Rodney Bay & Marina

Customs check-in was back to some bureaucracy, and only the Captain was allowed ashore to complete formalities. A very officious official wearing a customs uniform but claiming to be immigration didn’t believe Barb was the captain. She asked Barb how long she had been a Captain to which she replied 6 years on Eleuthera and 40 years as an airline pilot. This completely silenced her and caused the rest of the office to try very hard not to laugh out loud. The Port Captain was grinning from ear to ear in the background and the rest of the documents were stamped very quickly.

We came to Saint Lucia to celebrate the Offshore Cruising Club’s 70th Anniversary. Night one was a cocktail party sponsored by the Rodney Bay Marina and the second night was a dinner at Spinnakers a restaurant on the beach. It was a fun and interesting night as our table companions were members of the American group Salty Dawg Club, and they were raising money for a scholarship for young Antiguans to learn boat-building skills in America. They had been sailing up and down from America to the Caribbean for eight years but had not been to any French islands because they didn’t speak English!

Initially, we just anchored off the beach for the first night but the anchorage was very rolly, and the wind and seas were forecast to increase. So we decided to move into the marina for the night of the dinner. The normal floating docks were full so we ended up on the Superyacht dock. One day extended to three and we had a lovely time there. Hew did all the jobs that required flat water and we enjoyed the restaurants and ice cream bar. The marina was very well laid out and the staff were lovely.

The English couple who had organised the event are living on the island and restoring an old wooden boat they had inherited. They were living on their equally old wooden boat in the marina. Thinking they would be a good source of local information we asked about things to do and explore in St Lucia. These guys, along with others we asked, were not much use and other than commenting on bad roads and traffic jams seemed to think there was little to see.

The other reason for visiting Saint Lucia was that we were waiting for a new depth/speed transducer to arrive from the US as this had joined our ongoing instrument failures. At Saint Lucia, we could import it tax and duty-free via a local Caribbean courier, eZone. Since we had used eZone in Trinidad it seemed a good idea but it took nearly 7 days for the Duty and Tax free part to happen.

Pigeon Island and Fort Rodney

After three days and all the jobs done we couldn’t justify staying there so we shifted out to the northern end of the harbour under Pigeon Island. This was a better anchorage. After two days of unusually wet and windy weather, we visited Pigeon Island National Park. This was a lovely walk around the ruins of an English fort on the island.

Cruise Ships

The Park rents out one of the small beaches for private functions and while we were there a cruise ship had taken the beach for the day.

The cruise ship staff came in with everything; loungers, beach umbrellas, tents, tables, chairs, BBQs, and water toys. Everything had been transported off the ship with the only revenue going to the island being the fee to rent the area. The cruise ship industry leaves as little revenue as possible behind on the islands. The next morning it was back to being a local beach again.

Jambe de Bois

As we walked down the hill we came across the restaurant Jambe de Bois which was very cute. They also sold local paintings and had a book swap for cruisers. We loved the construction and the eclectic mix of furniture. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jambe-De-Bois/171841426204962

Hew was enjoying the local beer.

The restaurant has its own dock but at some stage, the park has removed the planks so you must go ashore through the park gates. The only inhabitants now are the birds.

Then quite quickly it was time to collect our transducer and return to Martinique.

Next Blog: Dominica

Summer Cruising

Summer cruising in the Caribbean is a great option for people like us who don’t really want to lock down for the hurricane season in a “safe” haven. Officially the hurricane season begins in June and ends at the end of November with the high season for storms being August, September, and October as can be seen on the NOAA website which puts out a lot of information for cruisers.https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/climo/#stca

Our plan is to sail on the shoulders of the hurricane season(summer) as far north as practicable and spend the peak of the hurricane season in the south with escape options.

The conventional approach is to keep a close eye on the weather looking for anything developing in the Atlantic off the coast of Africa and then heading west. Typically the forecast will give at least 5 to 7 days’ notice of impending weather although the actual severity of any of these systems can change rapidly as they progress west.  These systems form 5 – 20 degrees north of the equator and usually move slightly northwards as they head west, although this is not always the case. The spread of tracks are shown in the picture below from NOAA.

Historically, significant tropical storms in the Caribbean don’t get south of 10 degrees north so our plan is to stay within a couple of days travel (about 400 miles) of this latitude with options to head further south if necessary. The landmass of Venezuela and Colombia generally limits the southern extent of major storms.

Looking back at historical tracks of major storms the only major hurricane to hit Trinidad was Flora, a destructive Category 3 hurricane, in 1963. However, with the current change in our climate records continue to be rewritten.

Crew

On board Eleuthera were Barb and Hew, and from late May also Pete and Di who had joined us in St Martin for a few weeks. The plan was to cruise slowly south with a destination of Trinidad in mid-July to lift the boat to renew the antifouling. We had lots of islands to visit and explore with the planned highlights being Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, and St Lucia.

First signs

All was going well as we cruised south through the islands enjoying sailing, swimming, diving, and various land-based activities at St Barts, St Kitts and Nevis, and then Antigua. A highlight was a fabulous reggae band that followed the steel band one evening at Shirley Heights in Antigua. See https://kiwiflyingfish.com/2023/08/ancient-antigua/

Guadeloupe

Leaving Antigua on 16 June we headed south for Guadeloupe planning to spend some time exploring this spectacular island. Not long after leaving Antigua, we came across a fast travelling water spout – the atmosphere was unstable.

After a great sail, with no further weather phenomena, we arrived in Deshaies on Saturday afternoon 17 June to discover we were unable to check in as the facilities were all closed. Sunday was the same with even the police station closed. However, it seemed such a pity to miss the town so we did go ashore for dinner.

As an aside the French islands generally have the least bureaucracy at the border and the best food. Clearances are completed online at a special terminal located in a local business, often a chandlery or a tourist operation.

At this stage, the long-range weather forecasts were suggesting an early tropical storm was on its way and looked to be headed somewhere between Guadeloupe and St Martin in about a week. Our plans to spend time in the northern islands went out the window and it was time to go further South.

Heading South

Given check-in difficulties and uncertainty around the weather, we continued south on Sunday to Isles de Saints with another great sail in classic Caribbean conditions with 15 – 18 knots on the beam. Champagne sailing as Pete pointed out although probably a little too fast to catch fish.

Arriving on Sunday afternoon we picked up a mooring but everything was shut here as well. Looking at the forecast updates that evening it became apparent the storm was not behaving itself as it intensified and moved west and not north.

Pete was talking with a friend also called Brett, a super yacht skipper who suggested an anchorage in Martinique as a suitable spot to shelter.

The next morning 19 June we awoke to discover the storm had a name, Bret and it was tracking for the Lesser Antilles and strengthening. Predictions had it reaching the islands in about 4 or 5 days with 80-mile-an-hour winds! With a 5 am start, it was off for Martinique and another great sail as more and more yachts joined us for the trek south, we sailed past Dominica without stopping.

Martinique

Checking in at St Pierre and anchoring off the town for an overnight stop, Di went for a walk around the village befriending the local dogs but there was not much activity in the town. Interestingly the town had been destroyed in the 1800’s when the adjacent volcano erupted with the only survivor being a prisoner locked in the jail.

Another 5 am start the next day had us heading south again initially for Captain Brett’s safe harbour which was full of local boats seeking shelter, so on to Le Marin where we checked out. Di and Pete went shopping for supplies and Hew tried to get a bolt to repair the gooseneck but the chandlery was closed.

There is a large charter boat base here and all the operators on the dock were removing bimini’s and tying booms and sails down and adding additional mooring lines preparing for the worst. Also not a place to seek shelter.

St Lucia

Back on board, we carried on south again heading for St Lucia where we had a delivery to make. Some friends had asked us to deliver an outboard motor to a young local they have been helping so we were keen to hand it over.  Thanks to Starlink and WhatsApp Barb was able to make contact with Kenya and we stopped in Soufriere to hand it over. Kenya and a friend helped us pick up a mooring in the most spectacular bay under the Piton. They eagerly took delivery of the outboard and after photos were on their way. 

The local parks guys came out to collect the mooring fee and advised us to leave early the following morning as the storm was coming. There were several other boats in the bay with us all heading the same way.

Forecasts now had the storm passing between Martinique and St Lucia on Friday night 23 June so the plan was an early start and head for Bequia for shelter south of the centre of the storm. Bret was now getting close to a Category 1 hurricane in the forecasts.

Thursday 22 July and another 5 am start saw us the first boat to leave and head for Bequia.  

Bequia

A boisterous sail in a cross sea saw us make the 50 miles to Bequia by mid-morning but new forecasts now had Bret tracking further south across St Lucia.  This made the harbour in Port Elizabeth less attractive as it was now only marginally south of the storm centre and the various guides suggest holding on anchor was not great.  We had no desire to deal with an anchor dragging in the middle of a storm so off we went again.

Union Island in St Vincent and the Grenadines

Consulting the charts the next good shelter was Chatham Bay on the southwest corner of Union Island.  We had been there last year and felt this would offer shelter with high hillsides. On the way we saw a delightful pod of jumping dolphins and also a very energetic Seagull / Booby who fished next to the yacht for about 30mins.

Another 30 miles saw us in Chatham Bay for a late lunch and happily on a brand new mooring field in the bay put down by the resort.  The fee for staying on the mooring was to use the bar and restaurant! We dived on the mooring to check it out and the gear was obviously only a week or so old and plenty strong enough to hold Eleuthera.

The Aqua Resort guys took Barb over to Clifton to check in and make our arrival official. She reported an interesting trip on a rough track up through the forest. Cocktails that evening in the bar were a highlight.

As the afternoon went on more boats arrived in the bay and many more sailed past heading further south. This procession continued through most of Friday as well and included some bigger commercial vessels we had seen further north, people were taking this seriously. By Friday evening we had over 40 boats in the bay, some anchored and others on the moorings.  One or two left during the day obviously heading down to Carriacou about 15 miles away.

The Peak of the Storm

The winds didn’t pick up much until late Friday evening and we had 25-30 knots from the northeast through the night. On the back of the storm, the wind dropped and moved north and west as the eye went through to the north. Finally moving round to the southeast it picked up again and we had gusts of +40 knots for a few hours around daybreak. These gusts came screaming down the hillsides and across the bay at different angles making them quite exciting. For some reason in the northern corner of the bay, the wind funneled down the side laying some yachts right over as it hit them beam on. Several boats dragged anchors and generally had an adventurous time for an hour or two.

By Saturday evening everything had gone quiet in Chatham Bay, Bret had continued west and was petering out. St Lucia and St Vincent had 60-mile-an-hour winds and a lot of rain but not too much damage. Bret had first formed around 15 June, was named on the 19th, and hit the islands on 24 June. The first Atlantic storm of the season Bret did not track north but the forecasting and information on progress and potential track was great making it relatively easy to move out of its way.

Summary

We ended up sailing 250 miles to avoid Bret and think we made the right decisions not leaving things too late. One charter catamaran off Martinique did not heed the warnings and ended up with damage and the boat sank. They abandoned their yacht for a liferaft and were rescued after the storm had passed. Many questions were being asked as to why they had ignored the storm warnings.

The only disappointment was that we missed exploring the islands to the North. Sea conditions had dropped by Sunday and we headed back north again to Tobago Cays, Bequia, and Mustique.

Next Blog: Bequia