65) Martinique

Le Marin, Martinique (anchorage near the floating dry dock)

14° 28 N 60° 52 W

The early bird eats the worm.  John made off to shore to get new sheets for the repaired Genoa.  If you remember, we had to cut and splice them to make it to Barbados.  Luckily, the marine stores open early here and he got what was needed. 

   

First things first, we needed to lift the dinghy and stow it on the foredeck.  We use a halyard to lift it and spare short lines to lash it down. 

John wanted to install the Genoa so we could use it on our way to St Lucia.  It is an easy enough procedure when the wind is low but when the wind is on the nose in the high teens it becomes an issue.  The first attempt to raise the sail failed.  When the sail was a third of the way up the mast the boat swung through the wind causing the sail to backwind.  Then the boat started sailing forward on the anchor.  This was not an option and unplanned.  We immediately dropped the sail before unseating the hook.

We figured the best way to install this sail in this wind was to weigh anchor and head out to deep water.  The exit from this bay was just as fraught with coral as the entry was.  We basically followed our GPS waypoints out that we used to get in.  Instead of raising and furling the sail we decided to raise it and then sail away. 

 

Time to weigh anchor and depart.  While outside the bay we raised the sail, trimmed it and got on course.

Rodney Bay Marina

Rodney Bay, St. Lucia, West Indies

14° 05.5 N 60° 58.2 W 

St Lucia

The sail across to St. Lucia was fast.  The wind was in the high teens and we sailed with just the Genoa and managed to do about 7-8 knots.  But, the waves were just slightly off the beam, 6-8’ and the ride was fairly sloppy.  We saw about 10 sailboats transiting both ways and a few freighters.  St. Lucia from a distance looks very similar to the island we just left.  Today there were lots of clouds and lots of rain over the island. 

  

We are in a marina and tied to a dock.  This is an odd dock in that the fingers only go out about 25’.  All the boats hang past the ends of the dock.  But, everything is within close walking distance.  After we got settled in Nancy made a call to Sparkle Laundry the local laundry service and they came out in a boat and picked it up. 

Sparkle Laundry

One of my goals when I got here was to walk around the little bay and find Hooters.  I wanted to have a typical American BBQ meal and buy Tina a trinket.  Yes, she specifically asked for a pink t-shirt from the St. Lucia Hooters.  I wanted to make it happen.  I looked on the guidebook and figured it was about a mile walk.  After getting a little lost over there the walk probably doubled by the time I got back.  I had to ask twice for directions.  Both times they said where it was.  Well, I get there and Hooters is gone and the restaurant that replaced it is closed.  I figured this is what happened.  A place called Pizza Pizza moved in next door with a lot of playground equipment for kids and was entirely a family joint.  There is no way a seedy place like Hooters was going to compete with a family place like that.  Long story longer, there is no trinket to be had from Hooters.