This has been another busy week, but also a fantastic one. We decided to make a hard push North to get to Martinique in time to catch up with some friends. Weatherwise, the winds essentially dried up for our passage time so, out came the iron jib, and we lazily motored almost the entire way from Grand Anse Grenada up to Martinique. We stopped overnight in Carriacou and Bequia to get some sleep and overall had a wonderful, very relaxed trip.
Our passage to Carriacou again was wrought with washing machine water due to confused seas and strong currents but after that, the sea state diminished and it was much more comfortable. There were no sick crew members and I believe we have finally found our sea legs. Now just making sure they still fit. It was probably for the best that the wind had died as our furler motors (the motors responsible for pulling out our sails and bringing them in) have been acting up a bit. Another thing to add to the list of services to be done.
While we did not go ashore in Carriacou, the damage from Hurricane Beryl is still apparent with the ridgeline being completely scrubbed of trees, some houses still relying on blue tarps for their roofs, and lots of boats still lying on their side on the shore or dismasted in the anchorage. We did make a brief pit stop at Sandy Island for a quick snorkel and beach play and this was fantastic. It’s wonderful to get back into the water and watch the marine life. We saw a school of squid, damsel fish, a sting ray and lots of hunting jacks that were trying to feast on the abundant sardines.
We longingly looked at Tobago Cays as we picked our way through the reefs, but it was incredibly busy with only 2 mooring balls available, 3 mega yachts anchored on the outside, and even a Club Med Cruise ship amongst the fray. We chose to carry forth to Bequia before making the last 95 nm trip up to Martinique.
The benefit of the light air and seas meant that we were able to keep up with schoolwork, decorate the boat for Christmas, make some stove top bread and catch up on our reading. Despite that, we were all excited to arrive in St Anne Martinique and drop anchor. We have a lot of maintenance and upgrade projects to complete in Martinique, but mostly, we were looking forward to connecting with some amazing friends. The following day, we met up on the beach to catch up and then celebrated a very special birthday on their boat later that evening amongst other fantastic cruising families. Now, this is starting to feel more like the lifestyle we love.
The boys have been battling a bug that they likely picked up on the travel days so unfortunately, half the crew did not make it to the group hike to play and swim amongst the Didier waterfalls. However, they have recovered quickly and we are looking forward to more adventures this week. We are now in the marina, so we’ve rented a car to do some land touring and food provisioning in preparation for Christmas. I also have found an excellent gym that offers crosstraining and weightlifting classes so I cashed in on an early Christmas present to enjoy for the period we are in town.
Miles sailed: 160 miles (mostly motored)
Projects completed: Charge the existing engine battery and replace it, wet vacuum all the cushions, repair the fridge slider, order parts for the laundry machine, still working on peplink, getting quotes and meeting with trades regarding solar and parts.
Things that broke: Jay’s phone screen, the laundry machine door lock, the fridge slider, propane regulator
Number of days on board before Sarah started looking at Master’s programs and dates to return to work: 3
The boys wanted some of their work added to the weekly blog so below is a sampling of their free writing from the past week:
Evan:
The Story of Santa Claus
Once upon a time a little boy called Santa was born. He always had a feeling that he would do something that would change the world. Sadly, he didn’t do well in school because he was always daydreaming about winter; his favourite season. He wanted to live at the North Pole because it would always be snowy.
He loved making presents for his friends because he loved seeing them smile. His dream was to live at the North Pole and make presents for every child. Only his three best friends and he believed it was possible. Everyone else thought his dream would wear off and he would mature like every other kid. He like to call those friends the Elves because their names were Elverus, Elev, and Else.
On his birthday, December 25th, every year he’d make presents for everyone in the town. It always delighted those four to see everyone’s face light up with happiness when he gave them their presents. He would ask for letters every year so that he would know what to give them.
One day a fairy came down and gave him three wishes since he was so kind. His first wish was to live at the North Pole with his friends at the North Pole with his friends. His next wish was to know what every kid wanted. Finally, he wished that December 25th would be a holiday called Christmas. He told his friends that he would be leaving. Within seconds, he and his friends arrived a house at the North Pole along with 12 reindeer that magically carried them.
James:
The Don’t Go Park
The Don’t Go Park (DGP) is a massive waterpark at the sea floor. The main reason it’s called the DGP is because Mama thinks it’s too expensive. To be fair, it is $300 a person. It is also extremely dangerous. Four hundred people died there when the glass broke and water flooded in.
Some people even live there, but that is very expensive. A small house costs three million dollars. A lot of people go there in the summer, but less in the winter.
I once tried to request that Santa give me a chance to go to the DGP. Three years later, I still have not gone to the DGP. Mom said she went once with papa. Mom also said she’s gone to the one at the centre of the planet Earth. Father doesn’t remember anything about DGP.
My greatest wish is to go to the Don’t Go Park.
