We are Officially Peace and Plenty

Around noon on Monday December 10 we set out for Martinique with a good friend and seasoned sailor John Fallon aboard for guidance in making the passage and navigating the customs clearance systems at both ends. His presence and expertise were invaluable.

First of all the weather was not exactly ideal but with John's confidence and our eagerness to "finish" the purchase we left expecting to return on Tuesday. When the customs officer said it would be more like Wednesday we began to wonder. As it turned out it was rather blustery with the wind from the North East. Our intended destination was La Morin which is, you guessed it, to the North East. Since we were being blown North West we adjusted our course ( like we had a choice) to head for Fort De France on the West coast.

You need to understand that the passage between St. Lucia and Martinique is very deep except for the last five miles or so on each side. With the wind from the Northeast the sea piles up and the first stretch is very steep and boisterous, Lorna had the helm for all of that and about half of the rest. While I (Brian) had the helm we took a wave that soaked us all and left about 18 inches of water in the cockpit. It also knocked out the instruments and doused the nav station. At least the water was warm and the sun was shining. But not for long. When we were ready to turn for FdF the wind was directly on the nose. So we back tracked to a small anchorage, Grande Anse d'Arlet. By then it was getting to be dusk and anyone who has been in the Caribbean knows that doesn't last long. So dark, no depth instrument, plenty of other yachts at anchor, fish nets/pots marked with CLEAR plastic bottles and the wind blowing like crazy we used the GPS to get us as close to shore as we dared and dropped the hook. No good! All we did was clear out some grass. Second time was the charm, but try to relax and sleep.

Tuesday we were up bright ,well, early, and on our way to FdF. Anchored there no problem. Sat on the boat for about an hour and a half then into the dinghy. Checking in and out as Peace and Plenty was a breeze. First you find the chandlery then the computer in the corner put in your information and the clerk signs and stamps the papers. As they say "Voila"!!

We then went for a bit of a walking tour and had lunch at Chez Henry's in the market then to the Leader Price grocery for wine and cheese and other food items. Duly loaded we were walking back to the boat and nearing the dinghy when Lorna remarked "oh look here comes another Canadian boat in." It looks just like ours....OMG it is ours. It seems we hooked another ball of grass. Fortunately a German fellow was watching and recovered the boat after it had drifted about 300 yards into the ferry channel. By the time we got there he had it re-anchored for us and it didn't move until we left Wednesday morning. We gave him a bottle of wine and our profound gratitude for his efforts. His comment was that he hopes someone is there for him when it is his turn.

So the customs officer was right it's Wednesday and we are off @ 8:30 A.M. At least we will have the winds at our back, so to speak. It did seem like a more relaxing ride but we still Had to fight our way East so we didn't miss St. Lucia. So it was more of a corkscrewing motion we encountered with lots of water over the bow but not so much in the cockpit. Remember the shelving for the last five or so miles into St.Lucia? Well they were a challenge and looked intimidating but the boat handled them well. By the way we went over with jib and main and the motor at @ 2000 RPM, back it was jib only and motor @ 1500 RPM. We averaged 7 knots both ways.

Well anchor down in Rodney Bay 2:30 P.M. and we find the whole v-berth has been soaked including the shelves which had up to three inches of water in them! The Admiral was not pleased! John and I left to check into customs as Peace and Plenty and Lorna was left to deal with the mess. (Her idea). We are unsure of the source of the water but suspect the forward hatch and the chain locker yet there is no clear indication.

Thursday was dry out day as with the great assistance of Kristin and Terry of Silk Pyjamas three loads of drenched laundry was sent in for wash and dry ($150.00 EC), numerous cracks were investigated and filled, the seal on the main hatch replaced.

Today is another day in paradise. We expect Lorna's sister and brother-in-law to arrive in the next couple of hours, we're talking to them on the VHF.

There were many lessons learned this week. One being that the boat is very reliable in heavy seas and the other is to avoid heavy seas and test your anchor's hold!

(Sorry no pictures are available from this adventure)