SINT MARTIN TO ST JOHN, USVI

SINT MARTIN TO ST JOHN, USVI

MAY 2-3, 2017

St John May 3-13, 2017

We departed Simpson Bay, Sint Maartin at 1545 hrs for Caneel Bay, St John:  103 nm.  The wind was out of the E at 15 kts so it was broad reach.  Initially, we started with a poled out jib and mainsail but, as the wind veered to the ESE, we dropped the mainsail and poled out another jib so we were running downwind with two poled out jibs. This balances out the helm very nicely.  It was a pleasant voyage, a  little more wind would have made it perfect.  On May 3^rd we picked up a National Park Mooring in Caneel Bay, St John:  18-20.572’ N; 064-47.428’ W.  Fatty Goodlander from S/V Ganesh had recommended this anchorage as an ideal place to check into the US Customs and Border Patrol.  We were back in USA territory after 43,000 miles sailing in just under 6 years!

Caneel Bay is about 1 nm to the East of Cruz Bay which is the main city on St John and the check in point for US Customs and Border Protection(CBP).  There is very little room to anchor in St John so, most yachts, pick up a National Park Mooring in Caneel Bay and dinghy over to Cruz for the check in process.  It’s all quick and easy with no boarding by any of the officials.  A good portion (60%) of St John is National Park land.  In 1956,  Laurence Rockefeller donated his extensive land holdings to the National Park Service under the condition that the lands had to be protected from future development.  St John does not have an airport but is serviced by several ferries coming from St Thomas.  It is a beautiful island with many lovely anchorages.  The National Park Service has established mooring buoys in all of the available anchorages.  These moorings are free during the day but a $24 fee is charged, on an honor system, for overnight stays.  A National Park Service Senior’s Pass reduces this to $12.

Our daughter, Samantha, arrived at St Thomas on May 4^th.  We met her at the airport and took a ferry back to Cruz Bay, St John.  From there, a 15 minute dinghy ride put us back on our yacht.  On May 12^th at 1112 hrs, we departed our mooring for Grand Harbor on Jost Van Dyke Is, BVI.  We arrived at 1300 hrs and dropped anchor in 46’ water depth on sand with 190’ anchor chain out. This island is famous for Foxxy’s Restaurant and Bar.  It has some beautiful beaches and scenery.  Tourists arrive by boat and plane.  There is a lively scene in the evenings with rum flowing in every direction.

Four days is not a lot of time so the following day, May 6^th, we sailed over to Cane Garden Bay (18-25.608’ N; 064-39.851’ W) on the island of Tortola and picked up a mooring.  Supposedly, Cane Garden Bay has one of the most beautiful setting to be found in the BVI’s: the sunset was beautiful.

At 0912 hrs on May 7^th, we departed Cane Garden Bay for Salt Pond on St John: 18-18.485’ N; 064-42.406’ W.  This is a stunningly beautiful place with an large shallow inland pond that produces salt through evaporation.  It has a brownish red appearance with clumps of sea salt forming near the banks.  The beach is snowy white and the reef snorkeling is good.  Samantha had a brief snorkeling  around the reefs.  WE departed our mooring for Caneel Bay at 1536 hrs and picked up a mooring in Caneel Bay at 1736 hour.  We went over to the Caneel Bay Resort for a great meal.

On May 8^th, we accompanied Samantha to the ST Thomas airport via ferry to Charlotte Amalie. We left her at the airport and took the ferry back to St John.

On May 10, we motored over to Francis Bay and picked up a National Park mooring: 18-21.686’ N; 064-44.795’ W.  We had some good sailing friends from the yachts “Adina” and “Antares 2” there.  We organized a picnic on a beach in this beautiful bay.  We ended up labeling this “bug beach”; it was infested with sand flies.  We stayed here until May 12^th and then motored back over to Caneel Bay.  All provisioning was done in Cruz Bay, at Dolphins Supermarket, for the trip to Ft Lauderdale, USA: 1055 nm.

DOMINICA TO SINT MAARTIN

DOMINICA TO SINT MAARTIN

APRIL 27-29, 2017

We departed Portsmouth, Dominica at 1830 hrs on April 27^th enroute to Simpson Bay, Sint Maartin: 180 nm.  The Wx was unsettled as we left Portsmouth.  There were black clouds forming in the bay with an increase of wind.  These conditions deteriorated and followed us for most of the voyage to Sint Maartin.  The wind was ESE 15-25 kts with 5-8’ seas in the gaps between the islands.  We carried a double reefed main and jib.  As long as we have 10+ kts of wind, the main will not flog but anything less than this requires dropping it and sailing on the jib alone.  Our mainsail in fully battened: this has advantages as well as disadvantages.  One of these disadvantages is flogging in light winds and rolly seas.  We have sailed with other boats that are able to hold onto the mainsail by sheeting it in flat to the center line but it doesn’t work for us, therefore we drop it when it starts to flog.

We arrived off Simpson Bay, Sint Maartin at 0530 hrs AST on April 29^th and waited for daylight.  At 0615, we anchored in the outer anchorage of Simpson Bay to wait for the first bascule bridge opening at 0930 hrs.  We had some very good sailing friends, Jim and Kathy, on their boat “Innishnee” waiting for us in the inner harbor.  They were our berth mates when we departed Tower Marine in Douglas, Michigan on June 24, 2011.  Now they were preparing a transatlantic voyage to the Mediterranean.  We were anxious to see them again.

The bascule bridge opened at 0930 hrs and we entered the inner lagoon and dropped anchor in 20’ water depth on a mixture  of sand/mud with 150’ chain out.  There are strong katabatic winds in this bay so plenty of scope is needs to soften the violent swings in the gusty winds.  The anchorage is very well protected with plenty of room to swing around.

Sint Martin is divided into two parts:  French and Dutch.  The French have a larger piece of the pie but the Dutch side is more economically developed and tax free.  It’s a great place to buy liquor and provisions.  We didn’t go to the French part but many yachties go there for French cuisine.  During our time there, the Mardi Gras Parade in Phillipsburg took place and was a loud colorful event.  We had to wear ear plugs to soften the enormous boom boxes carried on the Mardi Gras floats.  Most of the participants in the parade were of African decent and very animated in their dancing.  The parade went on for many hours but we cut out after about two hours and went to a bar for drinks.

We found Sint Maartin to be heavily influenced by Americans and Canadians.  Being tourists, we didn’t really experience any significant Dutch culture.  Because it is tax-free, it attracts many yachts from around the world.  After visiting with our friends, Jim & Kathy, we heaved up anchor at 1545 hours on May 2^nd and left the inner lagoon, with the 1700 bridge opening, and set sail for St John in the USVI’s.  Our daughter, Samantha, was going to meet us there and sail with us for several days.  The Trade Wind was light at 10-12 kts for most of the journey.  The seas were kind and gentle.

SAINT-PIERRE, MARTINIQUE TO ROSEAU, DOMINICA

SAINT-PIERRE, MARTINIQUE TO ROSEAU, DOMINICA

APRIL 25, 2017

We departed Saint-Pierre, Martinique at 0730 hrs in the morning for Roseau, Dominica: 34 nm.  The Trade Winds were blowing from the ESE at 20-25 kts and the passage between the islands produced 6-7’ seas.  We arrived off Roseau at 1430 hrs and were guided to a mooring by one of the “mooring boys”: 15-17.385’ N; 061-22.799’ E.  It is possible to anchor here but the holding, reputedly, is not very good .  The moorings are well maintained with strong mooring lines in good condition: $30 per night.  The biggest problem facing the visiting yachtsman is lack of safe dinghy access.  There is a small jetty that can be used with a few flimsy lines for attaching the stern of the dinghy.  This is important as there is quite a bit of surge coming into the mooring area.  If the stern line were to break, the dinghy would be washed under the dock and destroyed.

Roseau, the capital of Dominica, is well preserved in its French and English colonial architecture:  Market Square forms the center of the old city.  It was the place where slaves were sold and executed.  From this center, many streets radiate outwards and have fine examples of colonial architecture.  Ft. Young, located within the ramparts of the old colonial military of the 1770’s vintage, is the “piece de resistance” in the city.  It is an old fort that has been made into a beautiful hotel while retaining all the fortifications, cannons, flagstones and other parts of the original structure.  We sat down in the bar area and had our first encounter with “A Big Assed Fan”.  This is an American company that produces gigantic fans for commercial enterprises.  I’m guessing that it had  12’diameter blades that were circulating an impressive amount of air at a comfortable rate.  It was so big that a special beam and supports were needed to keep it from taking off.

Dominica is one of the less visited islands but, perhaps, one of the most beautiful.  It attracts eco-tourism because of the many rainforests, rivers and lakes.  It has set up several hiking trails with varying degrees of difficulty: a guide is needed.  It is the only island left with a sizable indigenous population of Kalinago Indians.  These were from the cannibalistic Caribs that literally, physically and culturally, digested their predecessors, the Arawaks.  This island, more than any other, has placed an emphasis on preserving their pristine natural resources.  Because the island is mountainous with inaccessible areas, it has been possible to preserve a large part of it from destruction.  I wish we would have had more time to explore all that it has to offer.

On April 27^th at 0730 hrs, we departed the mooring for Portsmouth, Dominica.  This is one of the towns that is touted by many cruisers to offer the best possibilities for exploring the interior.  It’s only twenty miles from Roseau to Portsmouth so we arrived at 1130 hrs and were guided to a mooring by one of the “boat boys”.  The town itself is not very interesting but it is strategically placed  to explore the interior by motor boat, bus and hiking.  The presence of “ganja” was everywhere and openly smoked at one of the restaurants on the beach.  Once again, dinghy access is limited to a dock using a stern anchor.  There was a large surge coming from the SW coming into the port.

We were anxious to move on so we departed Portsmouth at 1830 hrs the same day for Simpson Bay, Sint Maarten: 180 nm.  As we were departing rain and squalls were building up in the bay.  This continued right on into the night and required motoring at times.  The unsettled Wx stayed with us for a good part of the voyage but gave way to ESE’ly winds 20-25 kts as we approached Sint Maarten.

     

ST LUCIA TO MARTINIQUE

ST LUCIA TO MARTINIQUE

APRIL 21, 2017

We departed Marigot Bay for St Anne Bay, Martinique at 1030 hrs on Friday April 21^st.  It’s only 30 nm but we got a late start because the Harbor Master didn’t show up at his office until 1000 hrs – such is life in the idyllic Windward Islands.  The Trade Winds were rather light on this trip; blowing 12-15 kts with an occasional 20 kt.  The St Lucia Strait has a reputation for being boisterous and rough but, on this occasion, it was remarkably well behaved; I don’t remember anything over 4’.

With the exception of Martinique, many of the islands exchanged hands between the English and French as the fortunes of war favored one or the other.  As a colonial power, the English exploited the natural resources of the islands without investing a lot of money in the infrastructure. Given the hierarchical structure of their country: monarchy, aristocracy, Upper Class, etc, they were, and continue to be, class conscious.  Since most of the local population were former slaves and uneducated, the English brought in East Indians to manage the mundane tasks that an established bureaucracy needed.  There was very little mixing between the English and those they ruled.

The French, on the other hand, considered Martinique to be an overseas extension of mainland France.  They exploited the natural resources of the land but invested large amounts of money in building an infrastructure and mixing with the local population.  This doesn’t mean that they weren’t class conscious but they didn’t have problems with interracial breeding.  This has resulted in a population that is a mixture of all the races that were brought into Martinique.  To enter Martinique is to enter the sphere of European French culture.  It is highly developed, modern and enjoys all the benefits of mainland France.

We dropped anchor at 1630 hrs in St Anne Bay in 20’ water depth on a sandy bottom:  14-26.030’ N; 060-53.230’ W.  This is a small town on the southeastern part of the bay that leads to Le Marin.  The surrounding area is pleasant and well protected.  The formalities for entering Martinique are all done on a computer in a designated restaurant: US$3.00.  It is the same for checking out:  how great is that?  We weren’t planning to stay long in St Anne so we took care of some provisions at Carfour in Le Marin and weighed anchor for St Pierre at 0906 hrs on April 23^rd.  It’s about 30 nm from St Anne to St Pierre.  For the most part we had an ESE Trade Wind at 15 kts with 3’ seas and protected by the landmass.  Some motoring was necessary during shadowing of the wind by the landmass. At 1600 hrs, we dropped anchor at St Pierre in 16’ water depth with 110’ chain out: 14-44.445’ N; 061-10.661’ W  Saint-Pierre is not as well protected as St Anne.  It is open from the North to the SW.  The bottom falls off sharply so one has to anchor fairly close in. 

Saint-Pierre was once a great trading center with about 30,000 inhabitants.  It was completely destroyed in 1902 by an eruption from Mount Pelee which killed the entire population with the exception of two individuals:  a criminal and a carpenter.  It has never been restored to its former glory but remains an interesting study in what a pyroclastic flow can do.  Many of the rebuilt homes, in the center of the city, use one or two of the old walls that remained after the rest were destroyed.  There is an interesting Vulcanological Museum that depicts the unfolding of that great tragedy.  The stupidity and ignorance of the local officials, at that time, reminded me of Heinrik Ibsen’s play “An Enemy of The People”.

The French islands deserve a lot more time to explore and enjoy.  I have always admired the free-spirited independence of the French.  They are imaginative, creative and adventurous; many are excellent yachtsmen.

BEQUIA, SVG TO MARIGOT BAY, ST LUCIA

BEQUIA, SVG TO MARIGOT BAY, ST LUCIA

APRIL 20, 2017

We departed Bequia at 0545 hrs in the morning on Thursday April 20^th for Marigot Bay, St Lucia: 62 nm.  It is a beautiful well protected bay and considered a “Hurricane Hole”.  In the mid 90’s, I worked for Hess Oil on a docking tug in Cul de Sac Bay just three nm north of Marigot. I used to walk over the mountain to Marigot Bay.  There wasn’t much there other than a single bar/restaurant.  The entrance to the bay runs east/west so the sunsets are spectacular.  The bay is still beautiful but it is now an Official Port of Entry and the developers have built a small marina, mooring buoys, restaurants, condos, water taxis, and the myriad water sports that go with a first class yachting center.  It has been tastefully done but no longer has the intriguing charm of remoteness.

Most of the islands have found a lucrative resource in yachts:  A typical mooring buoy costs anywhere from $18-30 per night, with $30 being the usual rate.  This seems to fit in with the increased affluence in the yachting community.  There is a plethora of chartered boats, mostly catamarans, plying these waters.  All of this generated money is reflected in pricing at the marinas and on the mooring buoys.  There are still many places to anchor but the local fishermen and entrepreneurs are reducing the anchorages with mooring buoys.  It becomes difficult to anchor near boats on moorings because the swing room is different.  In many places, a yacht entering the anchorage area is greeted by a motor boat asking to escort you to a mooring buoy.  After being made fast to the buoy, the fee is paid in cash.  As long as the moorings are well cared for and inspected, it is a convenience that has merit: caveat emptor.  In times of strong winds, many poorly maintained moorings fail.  Our policy has been to research the area before going there, read reviews and rent from locally established marinas.  We visually look at the mooring pendants and lines to see if they are in reasonably good condition.  It’s hard to beat a well set anchor with adequate scope.

The sail from Bequia to St Lucia was good: E-ENE wind 15-20 kts with a favorable current.  Close in to St Vincent, the katabatic winds can be gusty and fluky.  Occasionally, we had to motor sail to overcome the calm areas created by landmass.  The straits between the islands kick up a 4-6’ sea but nothing too uncomfortable.

At 1652 hrs AST, we picked up a mooring buoy in Marigot Bay: 13-57.978’ N; 061-01.430’ W.  There is a lot of activity and noise here that detracts from the natural beauty of the area.  We decided to leave the following morning.  We were able to Check In/Check Out at the same time; no clearance fees were charged.