Fast France
After saying we'd probably spend a few days in Marin, Martinique, we changed our minds. Yesterday morning we cleared in and out with French customs and immigration. I must say, the French are the tops in minimizing bureaucracy; not bad for those who are said to have invented it! One simple one-sided form, a quick verification of boat and passport numbers, and we're cleared both in and out. Three cheers for the French.
At any rate, we decided that we'd probably have an easier time doing boat maintenance and chores in Rodney Bay on St Lucia where English is the default language. We also were concerned for how long the high winds and waves would last, as they weren't diminishing in our 5-day forecasts. So, around 10AM we raised the anchor and were off for the 26 miles to St Lucia.
Our course was 204 degrees magnetic, which meant that we actually went between a close reach and a beam reach for the entire time. But our mainsail furling wasn't working, so all we had was a partly-reefed jib and the engine. We needed to charge the batteries and run the watermaker so the engine needed to be running and we figured we might as well use it for propulsion as well. Consequently we screamed across the channel at between 8 and 8.5 knots. We actually hit 9.2 briefly. And it's just as well, since the waves were as big as we've sailed in, at least 10 feet high and sometimes 12. With the wind howling at 20-30 knots again, it made for a very boisterous passage. Luckily it was all over in a bit over 3 hours. Not bad for 26 miles!
We entered the large expanse of Rodney Bay and dropped our anchor out in the main harbor. We wanted to stay in the marina, but nobody answered the VHF - just after lunch on a Sunday, so no big surprise. Jumped into the dinghy and entered the inner harbor where the marina, shops, and customs are all located. We cleared in to customs (hey, St Lucians, take a lesson from your French neighbors to the north and simplify your clearing in!), paid our $65EC clearing-in and cruising fee ($2.70EC to the dollar), ate lunch, and returned to the boat.
There were a number of empty berths in the marina, so we figured we could just choose one and take care of the paperwork Monday. So the anchor comes up, we enter the inner harbor, and make for a slip. But the wind's blowing 20+ knots and even though the slip is almost dead upwind a gust catches us as we're halfway in the slip, getting us diagonal to the slip. So back out and try again. This time we have some dockhands ready to take our lines and it goes very much more smoothly. We washed down the boat with fresh water - first time we've had a chance to clear the salt buildup in several weeks. The electrical hookup doesn't work, though. Apparently they've wired their 110V transformers backwards, so the boat's electrical panel shows reversed polarity; have to wait until Monday to get that straightened out.
And that brings us up to Monday. Grabbed some pastries and coffee ashore (a local bakery in the marina and it's woefully short of the croissants and pain de chocolate of their French neighbors to the north). Checked into the marina, got the electrical connection sorted out, and the air conditioners turned on. Did I mention the cabin temps are hitting 90F on a daily basis; with humidty to match. And I had a brainstorm - thought what if the mainsail furling motor had simply popped a breaker? And sure enough that was the trouble. So one major issue down with about half a dozen more to follow. Let's hope they're all as simple as a popped breaker!
The marina has moved to its summer pricing on slips so we're paying an all-time low of $0.41US per foot. The charge for a 5-day stay with water and electricity at least partially paid for was a bit over US$100. We might stay longer. :-) And the island is very up-scale with lots and lots of very expensive-looking homes on the hills around the bay. There's like 5 restaurants on the marina grounds alone. Oh and there's the usual volcanic and agricultural tourist things here. Who knows how long we'll stay?
At any rate, we decided that we'd probably have an easier time doing boat maintenance and chores in Rodney Bay on St Lucia where English is the default language. We also were concerned for how long the high winds and waves would last, as they weren't diminishing in our 5-day forecasts. So, around 10AM we raised the anchor and were off for the 26 miles to St Lucia.
Our course was 204 degrees magnetic, which meant that we actually went between a close reach and a beam reach for the entire time. But our mainsail furling wasn't working, so all we had was a partly-reefed jib and the engine. We needed to charge the batteries and run the watermaker so the engine needed to be running and we figured we might as well use it for propulsion as well. Consequently we screamed across the channel at between 8 and 8.5 knots. We actually hit 9.2 briefly. And it's just as well, since the waves were as big as we've sailed in, at least 10 feet high and sometimes 12. With the wind howling at 20-30 knots again, it made for a very boisterous passage. Luckily it was all over in a bit over 3 hours. Not bad for 26 miles!
We entered the large expanse of Rodney Bay and dropped our anchor out in the main harbor. We wanted to stay in the marina, but nobody answered the VHF - just after lunch on a Sunday, so no big surprise. Jumped into the dinghy and entered the inner harbor where the marina, shops, and customs are all located. We cleared in to customs (hey, St Lucians, take a lesson from your French neighbors to the north and simplify your clearing in!), paid our $65EC clearing-in and cruising fee ($2.70EC to the dollar), ate lunch, and returned to the boat.
There were a number of empty berths in the marina, so we figured we could just choose one and take care of the paperwork Monday. So the anchor comes up, we enter the inner harbor, and make for a slip. But the wind's blowing 20+ knots and even though the slip is almost dead upwind a gust catches us as we're halfway in the slip, getting us diagonal to the slip. So back out and try again. This time we have some dockhands ready to take our lines and it goes very much more smoothly. We washed down the boat with fresh water - first time we've had a chance to clear the salt buildup in several weeks. The electrical hookup doesn't work, though. Apparently they've wired their 110V transformers backwards, so the boat's electrical panel shows reversed polarity; have to wait until Monday to get that straightened out.
And that brings us up to Monday. Grabbed some pastries and coffee ashore (a local bakery in the marina and it's woefully short of the croissants and pain de chocolate of their French neighbors to the north). Checked into the marina, got the electrical connection sorted out, and the air conditioners turned on. Did I mention the cabin temps are hitting 90F on a daily basis; with humidty to match. And I had a brainstorm - thought what if the mainsail furling motor had simply popped a breaker? And sure enough that was the trouble. So one major issue down with about half a dozen more to follow. Let's hope they're all as simple as a popped breaker!
The marina has moved to its summer pricing on slips so we're paying an all-time low of $0.41US per foot. The charge for a 5-day stay with water and electricity at least partially paid for was a bit over US$100. We might stay longer. :-) And the island is very up-scale with lots and lots of very expensive-looking homes on the hills around the bay. There's like 5 restaurants on the marina grounds alone. Oh and there's the usual volcanic and agricultural tourist things here. Who knows how long we'll stay?
posted by Ken at
9:35 AM |
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