It’s been two weeks since we arrived in the Caribbean. It does not feel that long. More and more we settle into a routine and get into cruising mode. Our mood is a bit up and down; there are moments of bliss and happiness and being able to visit these islands feels like such a privilege. And then there are moments where we feel a bit beat down, low energy and not as into it as we did just hours earlier. We don’t quite know why – if it is us or the aftermath (and continuation) of too many boat problems – but we both have those waves, interestingly rarely at the same time. So we help each other through the lows and make the best of it, talk a lot, meditate some, and feel better and better.
After a nice stopover in St Vincent and checking out of the country in the morning, we carry on and sail up to the northern end of the island for an overnight at anchor in Chateaubelair.
The next leg is our bumpiest yet, possibly the toughest for the next few weeks. We motor north, in the nearly windless lee of St Vincent, and as we get near the northern tip of the island get hit by the full wind and Atlantic swell. The wind is from the East at 20-25kn, in gusts up to 30kn. We set a reefed main and the small staysail and labor NNE toward St Lucia. We sail close hauled but JACE loves this point of sail and bounces over the big swell and still maintains around 5kn of speed. So we don’t need any engine help and sail all the way to St Lucia.
It’s a full 6-7 hours and we are tired and wish those iconic Pitons we have been observing, as they appear and slowly grow out of the mist over the horizon, to get closer faster. Finally we duck into the lee of the southern extremity of the island and get a respite from swell and wind. The pitons are now very close and tower over us.
Our destination is the town of Soufriere where we grab a mooring at the northern flank of the bay. The snorkeling here is epic and Karin disappears just as soon as the lines are tied up and the engine killed.
Our night is rolly, the swell wraps around the south and hits us sideways, making it uncomfortable and loud onboard. We therefore find a better spot the next morning, this time right below the Petit Piton on the southern flank of the bay. Much better. Here we stay all day and enjoy this wonderful area. After checking into the country and a quick stop at the ATM and a store, Karin goes off for a SCUBA dive and later we buy a whole Mahimahi and fire up the boat BBQ for a delicious fish dinner.
After two nights here we move half way up the island to picturesque Marigot Bay. It is very narrow and super calm in here. As a bonus, there is almost nobody here, we find a great anchoring spot and our hook sets immediately.
The afternoon is sunny and breezy enough to keep us cool. But we are lazy and just stay on board, not doing too much. The Mahimahi gifts us with a second wonderful meal, this time a fish curry with banana, pineapple in coconut milk. Yum!
Overnight the weather turns and we get pummeled with one tropical rain shower after the next. Since it is still warm enough, opening the hatches is a necessity and that makes for a night of the “hatch dance”, close, open, close, open,… Thankfully, I had sewn some nifty rain covers for the main hatches that keep the rain out but let enough fresh air in to keep things comfortable and cut down on the nightly activity for us.
On Friday, after my daily work calls between 6-8am, we clear up and weigh anchor. We head up to Rodney Bay at the northern tip of St Lucia. It is a very large and beautiful anchorage with a very well protected marina in an inland lagoon, navigable through a small cut. Skipper Karin steers us into the marina: we need to fuel up our diesel and also top up our water tank. Although we have gotten the water maker to work again, we haven’t had enough sun the last few days to top off the batteries enough to afford to run it off solar power. And, regrettably, our generator is still out of order.
This is Karin’s first ever docking maneuver. She is a bit nervous but passes the test in flying colors. She slowly brings JACE to the fuel dock, approaches at a slight angle, and puts the engine in reverse to stop her as I jump on the quay and tie up our lines. Perfectly done and without a single sign of stress or loud word or yell. Well done Karin!
There is a trick to this, namely a piece of gear that Jeff and Lynne left us on JACE that we really gotten to appreciate: a hands-free headset walkie-talkie. We look a bit like helicopter pilots whenever we dock or anchor, both of us wearing a headset over one ear with a mic in front of our face. But it allows us to constantly communicate while Karin is at the wheel and engine controls and I operate anchor or dock lines. No more yelling over the wind or engine noise, wildly gesturing at each other. It takes the stress completely out of every maneuver. Wonderful!
Back out on Rodney Bay we find a nice anchor spot, drop the dinghy, and head right back into the marina, this time to clear out of St Lucia. It is Friday afternoon and we want to get that over with before they close.
Saturday is a busy and productive day: After breakfast we head back into the marina, first to the boat supply store to purchase a few items we need. Then we head into town to go grocery shopping. The town here is of a reasonable size and has a very large supermarket with very good access by dinghy. It is a new consideration for us to rate stores not by the size of their parking lots but by how close we can get by dinghy.
Back on JACE and after a nice lunch we tackle a few boat projects. One remaining repair left over from the davits problem that was mostly solved in Grenada. The bigger project regards our binnacle (where the steering wheel is). All the engine gauges (tachometer, oil pressure, fuel gauge, etc) one after another came loose and quite literally fell into the cavity behind the dashboard, suspended only by their electric wires. We carefully measure and drill new holes, use new screws and bolt the instruments back into place, seal them with silicone and tidy everything up. It turns out pretty good and we feel a sense of pride and satisfaction. Progress made.
We celebrate our success with a nice Indian dinner ashore. Tomorrow we are leaving St Lucia and have another longer sail up to Martinique.